Tonight was the second week of stocktaking, for the supermarket I work at (Morrisons in case you didn't already know). It went better than last week that is for sure, although the management sounded every bit as stressed as they were last Sunday! There were a lot more people doing the work this time, and as a load of us were there last week too, we knew what to expect and - roughly - what to do.
The procedure was the same as last time, which is to say long winded with multiple checks on everything. Even so (and despite us having a far larger chunk of the store to cover than last week), it seemed to go a lot smoother. We didn't finish any quicker than last time really, but it seemed easier. At least it did too me.
I didn't do stocktake all night though. I got out of that by helping the Home & Leisure Manager (Roxanna Wade) re-organise the seasonal aisle, as from tomorrow the store is starting to sell its spring range (yes I know it is January, but apparently the people in charge don't), of gardening supplies like compost, small tools and various forms of fertiliser (all of which seem to be made from ingredients like bone and blood. I hadn't realised gardening was so bloodthirsty!)
This took a couple hours to take everything off the shelves, rearrange the layout of the shelves themselves (including adding in another we had to fetch from the warehouse), and then putting everything (plus all the new sstock too) back onto the shelves, neat and tidy.
I'm not as stressed out as I was last Sunday night, and so the title of this post isn't really that appropriate (but then neither was it last time either, as despite feeling shattered last week, I didn't sleep a wink that night). I have no idea whether I'll get any sleep tonight, but as I'm not back in work until lunchtime Wednesday, I likely won't be putting my head on a pillow for a few hours yet.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Shiver My Timbers
I love the Muppets. There really isn't any other show that comes close to being a match for the original Muppet Show, with it's mix of guest stars, songs, sketchs and backstage zany antics. Some of the movies are good too, others... not so much. The original Muppet Movie is fantastic, but I'll cover that another day with a song from it. This song is from the very start of Muppet Treasure Island, which isn't the best of the films by any means, but it has some bloody good laughs in the running time (such as the High Priest of a tribe of wild pigs, being named Spa'am; a name that landed the Jim Henson Company in court with the makers of the canned meat product, who alleged that the character was depicted as - and I quote - "evil in porcine form").
Children's entertainment these days simply lacks the heart and soul of shows like the Muppets. It is too politically correct and sanitised, and I feel that is a great shame. The Muppets always used to be on the BBC at around teatime on a Sunday when I was growing up, and it was a show we could watch as a family (well apart from Dad as he was usually off somewhere selling something or other, though he did seem to enjoy it on the few occasions he was home to see it). I need to save up some money and buy the season box sets of this show on DVD.
Shiver My Timbers by The Muppets
Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul
Yo ho he ho
There are men whose hearts are as black as coal
Yo ho he ho
And they sailed their ship across the ocean blue
A bloodthirsty captain and a cutthroat crew.
It's as dark a tale as was ever told
Of the lust for treasure and a love of gold...
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides
Yo ho he ho
There are hungers as strong as the winds and tides
Yo ho he ho
And those bucaneers drowned their sins in rum,
The devil himself would have to call them scum!
Every man on board would have killed his mate for a bag of ginnys
Or a piece of eight, a piece of eight, a piece of eight
5 6 7 8
HULA WOKA HULA WOKA SOMETHING NOT RIGHT
MANY WICKY ICKY THINGS GONNA HAPPEN TONIGHT
HULA WOKA HULA WOKA SAILOR MAN BEWARE
When the money's in the ground, there's murder in the air,
Murder in the air.
ONE MORE TIME NOW
Shiver my timbers, shiver my bones
Yo ho he ho
There are secrets that sleep with old Davey Jones
Yo ho he ho
When the main sails set and the anchor's weighed
There's no turning back from any course that's laid
And when greed and felony sail the sea,
You can bet your boots there'll be treachery AH HA HA HA
YAAAAAA YA YA YA AAAAAAAA YAAAAAAA
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails
Dead men tell no tales!
Children's entertainment these days simply lacks the heart and soul of shows like the Muppets. It is too politically correct and sanitised, and I feel that is a great shame. The Muppets always used to be on the BBC at around teatime on a Sunday when I was growing up, and it was a show we could watch as a family (well apart from Dad as he was usually off somewhere selling something or other, though he did seem to enjoy it on the few occasions he was home to see it). I need to save up some money and buy the season box sets of this show on DVD.
Shiver My Timbers by The Muppets
Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul
Yo ho he ho
There are men whose hearts are as black as coal
Yo ho he ho
And they sailed their ship across the ocean blue
A bloodthirsty captain and a cutthroat crew.
It's as dark a tale as was ever told
Of the lust for treasure and a love of gold...
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides
Yo ho he ho
There are hungers as strong as the winds and tides
Yo ho he ho
And those bucaneers drowned their sins in rum,
The devil himself would have to call them scum!
Every man on board would have killed his mate for a bag of ginnys
Or a piece of eight, a piece of eight, a piece of eight
5 6 7 8
HULA WOKA HULA WOKA SOMETHING NOT RIGHT
MANY WICKY ICKY THINGS GONNA HAPPEN TONIGHT
HULA WOKA HULA WOKA SAILOR MAN BEWARE
When the money's in the ground, there's murder in the air,
Murder in the air.
ONE MORE TIME NOW
Shiver my timbers, shiver my bones
Yo ho he ho
There are secrets that sleep with old Davey Jones
Yo ho he ho
When the main sails set and the anchor's weighed
There's no turning back from any course that's laid
And when greed and felony sail the sea,
You can bet your boots there'll be treachery AH HA HA HA
YAAAAAA YA YA YA AAAAAAAA YAAAAAAA
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails
Dead men tell no tales!
Damn You Milholland!
I'm a huge fan of the webcomic Something Positive. It's been linked there on the sidebar of this site since the day this blog started. Today's strip is a classic example of just why I love this comic so much. S*P pulls no punches. It is sarcastic and cynical, most of that is seen through the eyes of the main character Davan MacIntire. Davan is a struggling artist and actor who lives in Boston.The strip is funny, and it makes you think. But every once in a while it'll smack you senseless with a story or event that you never saw coming. Today's strip is one of those.
Davan's father has Alzheimers, he told his son this at Thanksgiving, but he has yet to tell his beloved wife Faye. And Davan when told angrily insisted that his father do so, and not put it off until his symptoms became obvious, like he was more than likely going to try doing. Ohh he would never do that to his wife on purpose, but he'd justify it by "it never being the right moment to tell her."
So in keeping with his promise to his son, he asked Faye to call in sick to work and take a day off to be with him, because he had something to tell her. She was angry at first, as he'd never asked her to do any such thing before. But as the day went on, she grew to enjoy spending it with him. And all the while the reason for taking the day off got pushed back and back, because they were enjoying each others company.
So they went to bed, without her being told. And Fred woke up late the next morning to find that his wife had died in her sleep... Not much brings me to tears, but this did. The poignancy of it, the sense of loss in those panels is both beautiful and terrible. Great storytelling at its very best.
Now you might click on the link and read the comic in question and go "Huh?", because on its own it is sad yes, but not really tragic. As with any webcomic you have to start at the beginning to "get it". I'd advise ayone who likes a good story about life, with all of its grit to read the archive. It'll take you a while, Randy Milholland has been cranking out this strip almost daily (and sometimes more than one strip a day), since 2001. But trust me on this... it'll be worth it!
As for why I'm posting this at 6am, well that's cos I woke up and can't seem to get back to sleep. A sucker punch to the gut is what this strip is. Damn you Milholland for being so bloody good at what you do! Don't ever stop!
Friday, January 27, 2006
The Black Bouquet: A Book Review
Another book read, another review to write. So without further ado, here goes. The Black Bouquet by Richard Lee Byers is a Forgotten Realms novel, and is the second book in a quartet titled The Rogues. Each book in the mini series focuses on one such rogue character, in this case a thief by the name of Aeron sar Randal. Before I start with the book though, I'll point out that I am a bit biased in this review, as the author is one of my favourites (read my review of Queen of the Depths). I bought this book with 4 others and I picked this one to read first. Make of that what you will.
Aeron sar Randal is a man with a plan. He has been contracted to carry out a theft inside the supposedly theftproof enclosure called the Paeraddyn, a walled (and heavily guarded) compound at the southern end of the squalid town of Oeble. To this end he has brought along his three friends Kerridi, Gavath and Dal to aid him. They are to create a diversion whilst he carries out the robbery unseen. Things do not go according to plan, and while Aeron grabs the box he was meant to steal, he is seen doing so, and his three compatriots are slain in the ensuing melee, which he barely escapes.
Things go from bad to worse, when he realises that the person who hired him to pull off the theft (a tanarukk bandit lord by the name of Kesk. And if you want to know what a tanarukk is, well picture an Uruk Hai from Lord of the Rings, only about a foot shorter, with glowing red eyes and boar-like tusks), intends to betray him once the package is handed over, in revenge for a past slight when Aeron refused to join Kesk's gang.
If he just had Kesk's louts to avoid then things would be almost easy for him. No such luck, as hunting him is the ranger Miri Buckman, who was entrusted with the safe delivery of the box he stole, and has taken it upon herself to hunt him down and recover it. Unfortunately for her she is way out of her depth. Used to forests and the wilds, she is quite naive to the treacherous nature of the town she finds herself in.
Oeble is practically a character in it's own right, the ancient town crumbling, with narrow winding streets, over arching spans that link the leaning towers together, and an extensive network of tunnels and sewers beneath the streets. All of this is nominally ruled over by a council, their will enforced by the Gray Blades police force, though in reality there are simply too few Blades to enforce much at all, and it is the numerous criminal gangs that rule the streets. As a bonus, Oeble is set in a poorly detailed part of the Realms (The Border Kingdoms), and thus this book nicely adds detail to what was a blank spot on the map.
Also hunting Aeron is Sefris, a formidible monk/wizardess who is after the contents of the box he has. Inside the box is The Black Bouquet, an extremely rare and valuable book, which was taken from a plundered temple to Shar, the goddess of loss and the night. Sefris is a member of the Dark Moon, a group of fanatical killers devoted to this dark goddess, and she has been sent to recover that which was taken from Shar.
The plot twists and turns like a crazed thing, and as a result is an absolute joy to read. I love it when smart sneaky characters get written right, and Aeron is written very well indeed. The fight scenes are fast, furious and very bloody, especially those with Sefris who fights with her bare hands and feet, a living maelstrom of punches and kicks. There is treachery aplenty and some surprising alliances too.
Unsurprisingly this book gets full marks from me, 5/5, and I've liked this book of the Rogues series so much, that I've ordered the other three in the series from amazon.co.uk.
Aeron sar Randal is a man with a plan. He has been contracted to carry out a theft inside the supposedly theftproof enclosure called the Paeraddyn, a walled (and heavily guarded) compound at the southern end of the squalid town of Oeble. To this end he has brought along his three friends Kerridi, Gavath and Dal to aid him. They are to create a diversion whilst he carries out the robbery unseen. Things do not go according to plan, and while Aeron grabs the box he was meant to steal, he is seen doing so, and his three compatriots are slain in the ensuing melee, which he barely escapes.
Things go from bad to worse, when he realises that the person who hired him to pull off the theft (a tanarukk bandit lord by the name of Kesk. And if you want to know what a tanarukk is, well picture an Uruk Hai from Lord of the Rings, only about a foot shorter, with glowing red eyes and boar-like tusks), intends to betray him once the package is handed over, in revenge for a past slight when Aeron refused to join Kesk's gang.
If he just had Kesk's louts to avoid then things would be almost easy for him. No such luck, as hunting him is the ranger Miri Buckman, who was entrusted with the safe delivery of the box he stole, and has taken it upon herself to hunt him down and recover it. Unfortunately for her she is way out of her depth. Used to forests and the wilds, she is quite naive to the treacherous nature of the town she finds herself in.
Oeble is practically a character in it's own right, the ancient town crumbling, with narrow winding streets, over arching spans that link the leaning towers together, and an extensive network of tunnels and sewers beneath the streets. All of this is nominally ruled over by a council, their will enforced by the Gray Blades police force, though in reality there are simply too few Blades to enforce much at all, and it is the numerous criminal gangs that rule the streets. As a bonus, Oeble is set in a poorly detailed part of the Realms (The Border Kingdoms), and thus this book nicely adds detail to what was a blank spot on the map.
Also hunting Aeron is Sefris, a formidible monk/wizardess who is after the contents of the box he has. Inside the box is The Black Bouquet, an extremely rare and valuable book, which was taken from a plundered temple to Shar, the goddess of loss and the night. Sefris is a member of the Dark Moon, a group of fanatical killers devoted to this dark goddess, and she has been sent to recover that which was taken from Shar.
The plot twists and turns like a crazed thing, and as a result is an absolute joy to read. I love it when smart sneaky characters get written right, and Aeron is written very well indeed. The fight scenes are fast, furious and very bloody, especially those with Sefris who fights with her bare hands and feet, a living maelstrom of punches and kicks. There is treachery aplenty and some surprising alliances too.
Unsurprisingly this book gets full marks from me, 5/5, and I've liked this book of the Rogues series so much, that I've ordered the other three in the series from amazon.co.uk.
Digital TV A Go Go
My birthday was last week, but I collected my last but one present tonight (the last one being a bottle of bourbon I need to go and fetch from my brothers flat at some point). This one though was from my parents, a Freeview Digital TV box, which allows my TV to now receive about 30 extra channels for free. Or at least it will once I've replaced a couple cables, as Tony, Gareth and myself spent and hour or so plugging it in and testing it, and while we did finally get it to pick up all the availiable channels, some of them blink on and off.
Tony reckons that replacing the pair of co-axial cables that the box needs to link it both to the aerial and to the TV, should fix the problem. So I'll get those when I've got the money. Still the channels that we can get already are good, with crisp pictures and sound; a HUGE improvement over the reception we had before.
Tony reckons that replacing the pair of co-axial cables that the box needs to link it both to the aerial and to the TV, should fix the problem. So I'll get those when I've got the money. Still the channels that we can get already are good, with crisp pictures and sound; a HUGE improvement over the reception we had before.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Quotes From Three More Movies
It's been a while since I've done one of these, so I'm probably overdue for another. So without further ado:
Ghostbusters (1984)
Dr Ray Stantz: Gozer the Gozerian... good evening. As a duly designated representative of the City, County and State of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension.
Dr. Peter Venkman: [Sarcastically] That oughta do it. Thanks very much, Ray.
Gozer: [Evil voice] Are you a God?
Dr Ray Stantz: [Peter nods] No.
Gozer: Then... DIE!
[Electrocutes the Ghostbusters; pushing them to the edge of the apartment building; people screaming]
Winston Zeddemore: Ray, when someone asks if you're a God, you say "Yes"!
Dr. Peter Venkman: All right! This chick is TOAST!
Dr. Peter Venkman: [The team walks toward Gozer] Grab your sticks.
Ray, Egon, & Winston: HOLDING!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Heat 'um up!
Ray, Egon, & Winston: SMOKING!
Dr. Peter Venkman: [Gozer growls] Make 'um hard!
Ray, Egon, & Winston: READY!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown. THROW IT!
Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.
Dr Ray Stantz: You know, it just occurred to me that we really haven't had a successful test of this equipment.
Dr. Egon Spengler: I blame myself.
Dr. Peter Venkman: So do I.
Dr Ray Stantz: Well, no sense in worrying about it now.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Ray has gone bye-bye, Egon... what've you got left?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Sorry, Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought
Dr. Egon Spengler: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Dr. Peter Venkman: What?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Don't cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad?"
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.
Dr. Peter Venkman: We came, we saw, we kicked its ass.
Janine Melnitz: Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?
Winston Zeddemore: Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Okay... So... She's a dog!
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Ray: Ungrateful little yuppie larva. After everything we did for this city.
Winston: Yeah, we conjured up a hundred-foot marshmallow man, blew the top three floors off an uptown high-rise, and ended up getting sued by every city, county, and state agency in New York.
Ray: Yeah... but what a ride.
[At the foot of the Statue of Liberty]
Peter Venkman: Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Winston: Wonder what?
Peter Venkman: Whether she's naked under that toga. She *is* French. You know that.
Janosz: Soon, the city will be mine and Vigo's... mainly Vigo's.
[the ghost of the R.M.S. Titanic appears in New York Harbor]
Dock Supervisor: Well, better late than never.
Ray: Two in the box.
Egon: Ready to go.
Peter Venkman: We be fast.
Ray, Egon, Peter Venkman: They be slow.
Egon: [after a ghost train runs through Winston] I think that was the old New York Central "City of Albany"! Derailed in 1920! Killed hundreds of people! Did you catch the number on the locomotive?
Winston: Sorry. I missed it.
Louis Tully: Give me a break, we're both lawyers!
Jurassic Park (1993)
Dr. Alan Grant: You married?
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Occasionally.
Muldoon: [Muldoon and Ellie have arrived at the site of the T-Rex attack] I think this was Gennaro.
Dr. Ellie Sattler: [about 15 feet away] I think this was too
John Hammond: Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler. Welcome to Jurassic Park
John Hammond: We've made living biological attractions so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire planet.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
John Hammond: All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: But, John. But if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists.
[while being chased by the T-Rex]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Must go faster
Dr. Ian Malcolm: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs...
Dr. Ellie Sattler: Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth...
[realizing that the park is out of control]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Boy, do I hate being right all the time!
Dr. Alan Grant: Try to imagine yourself in the Cretaceous Period. You get your first look at this "six foot turkey" as you enter a clearing. He moves like a bird, lightly, bobbing his head. And you keep still because you think that maybe his visual acuity is based on movement like T-Rex, he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not Velociraptor. You stare at him, and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side, from the other two 'raptors you didn't even know were there. Because Velociraptor's a pack hunter, you see, he uses coordinated attack patterns and he is out in force today. And he slashes at you with this... a six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the the middle toe. He doesn't bother to bite your jugular like a lion, say... no no. He slashes at you here... or here... or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. The point is... you are alive when they start to eat you. So you know... try to show a little respect.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: You did it. You crazy son of a bitch you did it.
John Hammond: Creation is an act of sheer will. Next time it'll be flawless!
Ghostbusters (1984)
Dr Ray Stantz: Gozer the Gozerian... good evening. As a duly designated representative of the City, County and State of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension.
Dr. Peter Venkman: [Sarcastically] That oughta do it. Thanks very much, Ray.
Gozer: [Evil voice] Are you a God?
Dr Ray Stantz: [Peter nods] No.
Gozer: Then... DIE!
[Electrocutes the Ghostbusters; pushing them to the edge of the apartment building; people screaming]
Winston Zeddemore: Ray, when someone asks if you're a God, you say "Yes"!
Dr. Peter Venkman: All right! This chick is TOAST!
Dr. Peter Venkman: [The team walks toward Gozer] Grab your sticks.
Ray, Egon, & Winston: HOLDING!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Heat 'um up!
Ray, Egon, & Winston: SMOKING!
Dr. Peter Venkman: [Gozer growls] Make 'um hard!
Ray, Egon, & Winston: READY!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown. THROW IT!
Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.
Dr Ray Stantz: You know, it just occurred to me that we really haven't had a successful test of this equipment.
Dr. Egon Spengler: I blame myself.
Dr. Peter Venkman: So do I.
Dr Ray Stantz: Well, no sense in worrying about it now.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Ray has gone bye-bye, Egon... what've you got left?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Sorry, Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought
Dr. Egon Spengler: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Dr. Peter Venkman: What?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Don't cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad?"
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.
Dr. Peter Venkman: We came, we saw, we kicked its ass.
Janine Melnitz: Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?
Winston Zeddemore: Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Okay... So... She's a dog!
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Ray: Ungrateful little yuppie larva. After everything we did for this city.
Winston: Yeah, we conjured up a hundred-foot marshmallow man, blew the top three floors off an uptown high-rise, and ended up getting sued by every city, county, and state agency in New York.
Ray: Yeah... but what a ride.
[At the foot of the Statue of Liberty]
Peter Venkman: Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Winston: Wonder what?
Peter Venkman: Whether she's naked under that toga. She *is* French. You know that.
Janosz: Soon, the city will be mine and Vigo's... mainly Vigo's.
[the ghost of the R.M.S. Titanic appears in New York Harbor]
Dock Supervisor: Well, better late than never.
Ray: Two in the box.
Egon: Ready to go.
Peter Venkman: We be fast.
Ray, Egon, Peter Venkman: They be slow.
Egon: [after a ghost train runs through Winston] I think that was the old New York Central "City of Albany"! Derailed in 1920! Killed hundreds of people! Did you catch the number on the locomotive?
Winston: Sorry. I missed it.
Louis Tully: Give me a break, we're both lawyers!
Jurassic Park (1993)
Dr. Alan Grant: You married?
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Occasionally.
Muldoon: [Muldoon and Ellie have arrived at the site of the T-Rex attack] I think this was Gennaro.
Dr. Ellie Sattler: [about 15 feet away] I think this was too
John Hammond: Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler. Welcome to Jurassic Park
John Hammond: We've made living biological attractions so astounding that they'll capture the imagination of the entire planet.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
John Hammond: All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: But, John. But if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists.
[while being chased by the T-Rex]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Must go faster
Dr. Ian Malcolm: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs...
Dr. Ellie Sattler: Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth...
[realizing that the park is out of control]
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Boy, do I hate being right all the time!
Dr. Alan Grant: Try to imagine yourself in the Cretaceous Period. You get your first look at this "six foot turkey" as you enter a clearing. He moves like a bird, lightly, bobbing his head. And you keep still because you think that maybe his visual acuity is based on movement like T-Rex, he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not Velociraptor. You stare at him, and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side, from the other two 'raptors you didn't even know were there. Because Velociraptor's a pack hunter, you see, he uses coordinated attack patterns and he is out in force today. And he slashes at you with this... a six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the the middle toe. He doesn't bother to bite your jugular like a lion, say... no no. He slashes at you here... or here... or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. The point is... you are alive when they start to eat you. So you know... try to show a little respect.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: You did it. You crazy son of a bitch you did it.
John Hammond: Creation is an act of sheer will. Next time it'll be flawless!
Kazaaarrrgghhhh
I've just re-installed a program that in the past I have gotten a lot of us out of. The program is by a company called Sharman Networks, and is called KaZaA. It is a Peer-2-Peer network, much like Napster began life as. I use it to hunt down pdf files and mp3's mostly, and occasionally a video file of an american tv show. I've not had it installed in quite some time, as the last time I had it active, it kept messing up what files it was allowed to access for the purposes of sharing, meaning that I was sharing EVERY file on my PC with the whole world. Not a clever idea!
As I was unable to solve the problem, I simply got rid of the software and did without it for a time, whilst hoping that the problem would be fixed in the next update to the program. So it is back installed again, and as I lacked the $29.99 to buy the ad-free version, mine has the plug-in adverts. But, on the plus side, the problem I had before with KaZaA seems to have been fixed.
Only for an entirely new problem to crop up, namely that the program keeps turning itself off for some reason. I think I've figured out what is causing it (the "search for more sources to download from" command), so I'm refraining from using that for the moment. But that also means that downloading is slow. And slow downloads on a 2mb broadband connection is just annoying. I'm a bit stressed now (though not from work, today simply flew past, it was almost a blur the shift went so quick), so I'll see if I can figure out what setting to adjust to solve this problem in the morning.
As I was unable to solve the problem, I simply got rid of the software and did without it for a time, whilst hoping that the problem would be fixed in the next update to the program. So it is back installed again, and as I lacked the $29.99 to buy the ad-free version, mine has the plug-in adverts. But, on the plus side, the problem I had before with KaZaA seems to have been fixed.
Only for an entirely new problem to crop up, namely that the program keeps turning itself off for some reason. I think I've figured out what is causing it (the "search for more sources to download from" command), so I'm refraining from using that for the moment. But that also means that downloading is slow. And slow downloads on a 2mb broadband connection is just annoying. I'm a bit stressed now (though not from work, today simply flew past, it was almost a blur the shift went so quick), so I'll see if I can figure out what setting to adjust to solve this problem in the morning.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Adventures In The Land Of Zzzzz: Part One
I've just arrived back home after an exhausting 9 hour shift at the supermarket. Every year the store has to do stocktake, a manual count of every item in the premises. Tonight we covered non-food items (well most of them, we didn't count things like washing-up liquid, soap powder, and fabric conditioner for example). Next Sunday we have to cover all the rest of it, hence why this post is Part One, as I am also in line to do this onerous task next week.
As for the Zzzzz, that is because the job of stocktaking is extremely tedious and boring. We push everything to the back of the shelves to make it easier to count. Then once the store has shut, we count everything, putting cardboard tabs into the shelf edge strip with the number of each item present on it. Then we count each section and record it. Then that record gets double checked. Then it gets scanned (which in essence is a triple check), and then the scan printout gets (you guessed it) checked! While this is all very thorough, it is also very repetitious which makes it really hard to actually be interested in what you are doing.
Combine boredom with a lot of walking about, getting up and down and doing the same thing over and over, and you get weary pretty quick. Also, all of us doing this chore had to take our hour break before we started, when an hour to put our feet up in the middle (I think) would have done wonders. Although, saying that, it could have resulted in a lot of staff taking a nap!
Of course once all of the checking and recording is done, eveything on the shelves needs to be pulled forward again, so that the store is ready for tomorrows trade. Apparently there will be a lot more staff doing this next week (I heard a figure of triple the number working tonight), which will be good, even though next week we have a lot more of the store to cover than we did tonight.
I walked home with my mate Dan Shapter, the pair of us popping into a takeout on the way which specialises in fried chicken, to grab something to munch. I also snagged a bottle of cola as while I am tired I'm not really sleepy. I think I'll go and watch a DVD or some cartoons for a bit, and let my mind unwind.
As for the Zzzzz, that is because the job of stocktaking is extremely tedious and boring. We push everything to the back of the shelves to make it easier to count. Then once the store has shut, we count everything, putting cardboard tabs into the shelf edge strip with the number of each item present on it. Then we count each section and record it. Then that record gets double checked. Then it gets scanned (which in essence is a triple check), and then the scan printout gets (you guessed it) checked! While this is all very thorough, it is also very repetitious which makes it really hard to actually be interested in what you are doing.
Combine boredom with a lot of walking about, getting up and down and doing the same thing over and over, and you get weary pretty quick. Also, all of us doing this chore had to take our hour break before we started, when an hour to put our feet up in the middle (I think) would have done wonders. Although, saying that, it could have resulted in a lot of staff taking a nap!
Of course once all of the checking and recording is done, eveything on the shelves needs to be pulled forward again, so that the store is ready for tomorrows trade. Apparently there will be a lot more staff doing this next week (I heard a figure of triple the number working tonight), which will be good, even though next week we have a lot more of the store to cover than we did tonight.
I walked home with my mate Dan Shapter, the pair of us popping into a takeout on the way which specialises in fried chicken, to grab something to munch. I also snagged a bottle of cola as while I am tired I'm not really sleepy. I think I'll go and watch a DVD or some cartoons for a bit, and let my mind unwind.
Why I Left
Last night close to a dozen of my friends saw me get up and leave a showing of Underworld: Evolution at the local cinema. I've never walked out of a film before and I didn't walk out of this one voluntarily. I was feeling sick. I had been feeling queasy through quite a lot of the day, owing to a series of minor headaches that came and went. The walk down to the cinema did wonders for my stomach, settling it to the extent that I felt safe in eating at the McDonalds near the cinema.
I was enjoying the film. I liked the first one and the sequel was doing a good job of following the dangling plot threads left over at the end of the original and expanding upon them. I will doubtless buy it on DVD (along with the original) when it comes out and finish watching it then. It was the films' rock video style of cinematography that got me though, the rapid cutting between different camera angles, the flashes and such, that brought my headache back with a vengeance. That was what caused the hasty exit, and I barely made it to the loo's in time.
I came back in to get my coat and then walked home. I could have come back in, sat down and watched the film. But I didn't know if I would be sick again (not having anything in my stomach to be sick with has never stopped my body before). So I walked home by myself, and that seemed to do the trick again, much as the walk down there had done. Illness aside it was a good night out, just a shame it ended how it did.
I was enjoying the film. I liked the first one and the sequel was doing a good job of following the dangling plot threads left over at the end of the original and expanding upon them. I will doubtless buy it on DVD (along with the original) when it comes out and finish watching it then. It was the films' rock video style of cinematography that got me though, the rapid cutting between different camera angles, the flashes and such, that brought my headache back with a vengeance. That was what caused the hasty exit, and I barely made it to the loo's in time.
I came back in to get my coat and then walked home. I could have come back in, sat down and watched the film. But I didn't know if I would be sick again (not having anything in my stomach to be sick with has never stopped my body before). So I walked home by myself, and that seemed to do the trick again, much as the walk down there had done. Illness aside it was a good night out, just a shame it ended how it did.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Blast Off To The Last Planet
I thought I'd post something suitably space related to celebrate the launch of the New Horizons probe from Cape Canaveral today. This piano sized piece of kit cost $700 Million and is set to explore the last planet in our solar system, Pluto (which some astronomers don't think should be classed as a planet at all). It won't get there until July 2015 though. Still, I'm a sucker for anything to do with space exploration, and so in honour of the occasion, here is a fun song by Yakko, Wakko & Dot Warner about the universe we live in!
The Universe Song by the Animaniacs
Everybody lives on a street in a city
Or a village or a town for what it's worth.
And they're all inside a country which is part of a continent
That sits upon a planet known as Earth.
And the Earth is a ball full of oceans and some mountains
Which is out there spinning silently in space.
And living on that Earth are the plants and the animals
And also the entire human race.
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
It's big and black and inky
And we are small and dinky
It's a big universe and we're not.
And we're part of a vast interplanetary system
Stretching seven hundred billion miles long.
With nine planets and a sun; we think the Earth's the only one
That has life on it, although we could be wrong.
Across the interstellar voids are a billion asteroids
Including meteors and Halley's Comet too.
And there's over fifty moons floating out there like balloons
In a panoramic trillion-mile view.
And still it's all a speck amid a hundred billion stars
In a galaxy we call the Milky Way.
It's sixty thousand trillion miles from one end to the other
And still that's just a fraction of the way.
'Cause there's a hundred billion galaxies that stretch across the sky
Filled with constellations, planets, moons and stars.
And still the universe extends to a place that never ends
Which is maybe just inside a little jar!
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
Though we don't know how it got here
We're an important part here
It's a big universe and it's ours!
The Universe Song by the Animaniacs
Everybody lives on a street in a city
Or a village or a town for what it's worth.
And they're all inside a country which is part of a continent
That sits upon a planet known as Earth.
And the Earth is a ball full of oceans and some mountains
Which is out there spinning silently in space.
And living on that Earth are the plants and the animals
And also the entire human race.
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
It's big and black and inky
And we are small and dinky
It's a big universe and we're not.
And we're part of a vast interplanetary system
Stretching seven hundred billion miles long.
With nine planets and a sun; we think the Earth's the only one
That has life on it, although we could be wrong.
Across the interstellar voids are a billion asteroids
Including meteors and Halley's Comet too.
And there's over fifty moons floating out there like balloons
In a panoramic trillion-mile view.
And still it's all a speck amid a hundred billion stars
In a galaxy we call the Milky Way.
It's sixty thousand trillion miles from one end to the other
And still that's just a fraction of the way.
'Cause there's a hundred billion galaxies that stretch across the sky
Filled with constellations, planets, moons and stars.
And still the universe extends to a place that never ends
Which is maybe just inside a little jar!
It's a great big universe
And we're all really puny
We're just tiny little specks
About the size of Mickey Rooney.
Though we don't know how it got here
We're an important part here
It's a big universe and it's ours!
Bears Rock!
I love bears. The largest land-based predators in the world, and yet despite their size and strength they are remarkably shy, prefering to avoid humans rather than confront us. I saw this picture on the net and I just had to grab it and post it here, cos this brown bear just looks so cool standing there. Course you have to bear in mind (pardon the pun), that the bear is likely about 10' tall (and the Kodiak, which is a subspecies of Brown Bear can grow to 13 feet in height when reared up!) on his hind legs! I just thought I'd share this cool photo with you.
EDIT (22/1/06): Ohh and I just checked my list of files, and found out that this is the 200th post published.
Five Down, Five To Go
Well that's not strictly true, at least not yet. I have just finished reading through modules four (Grammar) and five (Punctuation) of the course; and yet I don't consider myself learned in them. For that I am going to have to re-read them, and quite likely more than once. While other aspects of the course deal with the basics, as well as varied topics like: electronic publishing, setting oneself up in business and the like; all of that is dependent upon a student mastering the lessons of these two modules. Without them, you have nothing.
So I will re-read them tomorrow and a couple more modules besides. And then I'll prep for D&D in the evening. And I'll read another two on Saturday, which will take me to the end of module nine. The final module is an exam that has to be sent away to an external examiner. I'll be reading the fourth and fifth modules again before I tackle that.
I also need to find out what the current fee for the examiner to mark the paper is; as I very much doubt it is still the £15 that is listed in my course folder, given that my copy dates back to 1998.
So I will re-read them tomorrow and a couple more modules besides. And then I'll prep for D&D in the evening. And I'll read another two on Saturday, which will take me to the end of module nine. The final module is an exam that has to be sent away to an external examiner. I'll be reading the fourth and fifth modules again before I tackle that.
I also need to find out what the current fee for the examiner to mark the paper is; as I very much doubt it is still the £15 that is listed in my course folder, given that my copy dates back to 1998.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
I know I do. Not entirely sure what I'd do with the world if I did rule it though, well other than abolish religion. I'd certainly direct mankind toward the stars. I feel that we are fast outgrowing this planet, and space exploration and colonisation should be given a lot more priority than it is. As for the song, it is one of my favourites and I listen too it often. The lyrics don't actually make much sense, or have any great meaning for me, but the tune is infectious.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears
Welcome to your life
There's no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
It's my own design
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I'll be right behind you
So glad we've almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world
I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you'll never never never never need it
One headline why believe it ?
Everybody wants to rule the world
All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears
Welcome to your life
There's no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
It's my own design
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I'll be right behind you
So glad we've almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world
I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you'll never never never never need it
One headline why believe it ?
Everybody wants to rule the world
All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
Brain Hurts!
Not a headache this time, this time it's because of actually using the grey matter encased in my skull, whereas I normally hardly tax it at all. I started my home study course today in Proofreading and Copy Editing. I bought the course in 1998 after leaving University and got almost all the way through it before giving up on it, owing to my getting 50-60% in the self testing exercises that are interspersed throughout the ten modules. To be getting that kind of low score on the eighth module was shockingly poor, considering that the course expects a student to be getting 80%+ by that stage.
So I quit it, and for the past few years I've read a lot, and wrote a lot, primarily building an online computer roleplay game called Austin MUD. This was good practice at proofreading, as the majority of those working on the game were Danish or American and not posessed of great skill when it came to writing good english. There are a few notable exceptions, specifically Varda (a danish lady by the name of Rikke Bendtsen, who was the only writer I considered my equal). I also worked on a website called The World of Austin, which helped to hone my skills (especially the Literature section, where I often had to proofread and edit whole stories) over time.
So I've started reading through the modules again, and as of now I have finished three of them, they being the 'easy' ones. I put easy in quotes because while they are not anywhere near as taxing as the couple modules I will be tackling tomorrow, they have taken a toll. Not since May 1998 when I dropped out of University have I sat down and seriously tried to study something, to ingrain it into my consciousness and today has shown me that getting back into that habit is tougher than I thought it would be.
Three modules down, which were the course introduction, and a module each on the basics of Proofreading and Copy Editing. Though I have far more interest in the former (despite the latter paying much better), I am not going to skip any aspects of the course, as it will be helpful as a Proofreader to know how a Copy Editor works (since they deal with a manuscript first, and then pass it on to Proofreaders). Tomorrow, I have the two modules that made my brain ache last time around, they deal with Grammar and Punctuation.
Right now though I'm going to relax for the evening, cook a pasta bake, maybe watch a movie and let my mind unwind a bit, whilst letting todays lessons soak in.
So I quit it, and for the past few years I've read a lot, and wrote a lot, primarily building an online computer roleplay game called Austin MUD. This was good practice at proofreading, as the majority of those working on the game were Danish or American and not posessed of great skill when it came to writing good english. There are a few notable exceptions, specifically Varda (a danish lady by the name of Rikke Bendtsen, who was the only writer I considered my equal). I also worked on a website called The World of Austin, which helped to hone my skills (especially the Literature section, where I often had to proofread and edit whole stories) over time.
So I've started reading through the modules again, and as of now I have finished three of them, they being the 'easy' ones. I put easy in quotes because while they are not anywhere near as taxing as the couple modules I will be tackling tomorrow, they have taken a toll. Not since May 1998 when I dropped out of University have I sat down and seriously tried to study something, to ingrain it into my consciousness and today has shown me that getting back into that habit is tougher than I thought it would be.
Three modules down, which were the course introduction, and a module each on the basics of Proofreading and Copy Editing. Though I have far more interest in the former (despite the latter paying much better), I am not going to skip any aspects of the course, as it will be helpful as a Proofreader to know how a Copy Editor works (since they deal with a manuscript first, and then pass it on to Proofreaders). Tomorrow, I have the two modules that made my brain ache last time around, they deal with Grammar and Punctuation.
Right now though I'm going to relax for the evening, cook a pasta bake, maybe watch a movie and let my mind unwind a bit, whilst letting todays lessons soak in.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Thud!: A Book Review
So I finished reading this book last night (well the early hours of this morning to be precise), and I figured I'd get writing this review out of the way before I make a start on my study course. Thud! by Terry Pratchett is a Discworld novel, and the 30th in the series to date. I'll state from the beginning that I'm not a fan of a lot of the Discworld books. I am however, a big fan of the novels that feature the Ankh-Morpork City Watch though (Guards Guards, Men At Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant and Night Watch). The other main characters that books are themed around are the Lancre Witches which I find too hit and miss (Wyrd Sisters, Lords and Ladies and Carpe Jugulum are good, Witches Abroad and Maskerade are not!); Death (Mort, Soul Music and Hogfather are good, Reaper Man is fucking terrible... ohh and I prefer the cartoon of Soul Music to the book); and Rincewind the Wizzard (don't even get me started on how much I hate this character). Plus there are many stand alone novels which again of the ones I've read are hit and miss (Small Gods and The Truth were good though).
This is a novel about my favourite Discworld character, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, the Duke of Ankh, leader of the City Watch and an all round tough as old boots policeman, who is constantly overwhelmed by what goes on around him. This is the seventh City Watch novel, and the character has come a long way from the lonely drunkard of the first, to lead a small (but growing) army of watchmen who do their best to keep order in the squalid metropolis that is Ankh-Morpork. In this case the Watch are up against the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley, an event that happened hundreds of miles away and thousands of years ago, and yet every year divides dwarves and trolls into two camps intent on refighting the conflict.
Needless to say such a battle in a city with large populations of both races would cause an unholy amount of damage and that Vimes cannot allow. Still if he had just one thing to worry about, then Vimes wouldn't have a problem, he is nothing if not doggedly single-minded. Unfortunately he has the murder of a prominent dwarf rabble rouser to sort out, a painting has gone missing from the museum, the watch is being audited by Mr A.E. Pessimal at the behest of the Patrician (the cities benevolent dictator), he has had to allow a vampire to join the force in the interests of racial equality (Vimes HATES vampires), ohh and at 6pm everyday without fail he must read the book Where's My Cow? (complete with all the proper animal noises) to his infant son, because he promised that he would.
Thankfully Vimes has the considerable (and very varied) talents of his beloved Watch to call upon to help him, from his deputy Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson (a 6' human raised by dwarves, who knows everyone in the city it seems), Angua (a female werewolf and Carrot's girlfriend), Cheery Littlebottom (a female dwarf forensics expert), Nobby Nobbs (human with a certificate to prove it), Detritus (a troll with a very large crossbow called the Piecemaker), and Fred Colon (who's been coppering for so long he doesn't know how to do anything else).
The book is very well written as should be expected from Mr. Pratchett, one of the best satire authors writing today, and Ankh-Morpork nicely sends up aspects of modern society whilst in its own twisted way following them. This was a joy to read and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next City Watch novel now, as the ending of this one promises some radical changes are in the near future for the city, and it will be interesting to see how the Watch (and Vimes) adapt to that. I'm giving this book top marks, 5/5. Any book that keeps me reading till 3am because I have to finish it deserves nothing less!
This is a novel about my favourite Discworld character, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, the Duke of Ankh, leader of the City Watch and an all round tough as old boots policeman, who is constantly overwhelmed by what goes on around him. This is the seventh City Watch novel, and the character has come a long way from the lonely drunkard of the first, to lead a small (but growing) army of watchmen who do their best to keep order in the squalid metropolis that is Ankh-Morpork. In this case the Watch are up against the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley, an event that happened hundreds of miles away and thousands of years ago, and yet every year divides dwarves and trolls into two camps intent on refighting the conflict.
Needless to say such a battle in a city with large populations of both races would cause an unholy amount of damage and that Vimes cannot allow. Still if he had just one thing to worry about, then Vimes wouldn't have a problem, he is nothing if not doggedly single-minded. Unfortunately he has the murder of a prominent dwarf rabble rouser to sort out, a painting has gone missing from the museum, the watch is being audited by Mr A.E. Pessimal at the behest of the Patrician (the cities benevolent dictator), he has had to allow a vampire to join the force in the interests of racial equality (Vimes HATES vampires), ohh and at 6pm everyday without fail he must read the book Where's My Cow? (complete with all the proper animal noises) to his infant son, because he promised that he would.
Thankfully Vimes has the considerable (and very varied) talents of his beloved Watch to call upon to help him, from his deputy Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson (a 6' human raised by dwarves, who knows everyone in the city it seems), Angua (a female werewolf and Carrot's girlfriend), Cheery Littlebottom (a female dwarf forensics expert), Nobby Nobbs (human with a certificate to prove it), Detritus (a troll with a very large crossbow called the Piecemaker), and Fred Colon (who's been coppering for so long he doesn't know how to do anything else).
The book is very well written as should be expected from Mr. Pratchett, one of the best satire authors writing today, and Ankh-Morpork nicely sends up aspects of modern society whilst in its own twisted way following them. This was a joy to read and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next City Watch novel now, as the ending of this one promises some radical changes are in the near future for the city, and it will be interesting to see how the Watch (and Vimes) adapt to that. I'm giving this book top marks, 5/5. Any book that keeps me reading till 3am because I have to finish it deserves nothing less!
Monday, January 16, 2006
Thirty Today
I turn thirty years old today. Not quite yet though, officially I hit that milestone at about 4:20pm, so I have over an hour before I end my third decade and begin my fourth. I woke up late today and as I type this I'm sat in my bathrobe because I've not been bothered to get dressed as yet. Just had a video chat with my mate Jon Wright (who lives across town), as he offered to pay for a trip to the cinema for the pair of us. Alas after looking at the films availiable to see the only one that I was interested in that I've not already seen was The Producers, and that had just the one showing at 12:15pm, so we'd missed it. Nice of you to offer though Jon.
Other than the meal this evening I have nothing planned for the day. I went to bed at about 5am this morning, after hanging out in online Gor for a few hours. Yes I know I said I'd quit it, but this was a birthday treat of a sort to myself, in which I brought my first character that I played online out of retirement for a cameo appearance. That character is Karne, a 6'7" Torvaldslander (Viking) Blacksmith, who likes to wander. He doesn't remember why he started wandering, he isn't exactly blessed with brains, but he has a fierce sense of wanderlust.
He is a fun character to play (especially as he has a habit of bashing his head on doorframes and ceilings) and he is far from being the sharpest tool in the shed. On the flip side he is a big bloke, with arms as thick as most peoples thighs, big calloused hands and he carries a sledgehammer as his weapon, which is pretty unusual on Gor. Not that he likes to fight, but he does like an ale or twenty and being drunk can lead to a scrap.
I might wander about with him a bit more, as I've got a few hours to kill until I need to shower and shave and all that jazz, and then head on down to the Mandarin. I'm told there will be 10 of us for the birthday meal, which is the most people I've been around on my birthday since my 21st when my mates at University did their level best to kill me (I got alcohol poisoning as a result, was in bed very sick for 2 days afterwards). Not a night I'll forget in a hurry.
Other than the meal this evening I have nothing planned for the day. I went to bed at about 5am this morning, after hanging out in online Gor for a few hours. Yes I know I said I'd quit it, but this was a birthday treat of a sort to myself, in which I brought my first character that I played online out of retirement for a cameo appearance. That character is Karne, a 6'7" Torvaldslander (Viking) Blacksmith, who likes to wander. He doesn't remember why he started wandering, he isn't exactly blessed with brains, but he has a fierce sense of wanderlust.
He is a fun character to play (especially as he has a habit of bashing his head on doorframes and ceilings) and he is far from being the sharpest tool in the shed. On the flip side he is a big bloke, with arms as thick as most peoples thighs, big calloused hands and he carries a sledgehammer as his weapon, which is pretty unusual on Gor. Not that he likes to fight, but he does like an ale or twenty and being drunk can lead to a scrap.
I might wander about with him a bit more, as I've got a few hours to kill until I need to shower and shave and all that jazz, and then head on down to the Mandarin. I'm told there will be 10 of us for the birthday meal, which is the most people I've been around on my birthday since my 21st when my mates at University did their level best to kill me (I got alcohol poisoning as a result, was in bed very sick for 2 days afterwards). Not a night I'll forget in a hurry.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
A Fun Day
I've enjoyed today. I woke up at around noon after a good long nights sleep, and was informed by Tony that not only had he downloaded the new episodes of sci-fi TV that air on the US Sci-Fi channel on a Friday night, but that he'd grabbed several more episodes of Stargate Atlantis too, which (as far as I know) haven't even been aired yet. This called for a marathon session, and so we watched episodes 2.12 through 2.16 of Atlantis back to back.
Following this we also watched episode 2.12 of Stargate SG-1 and 2.12 of Battlestar Galactica, both of which were a lot of fun. I love those 3 shows, Atlantis is my favourite but Galactica is the best written and acted of the trio. I'm just a sucker for anything to do with the famed lost city, always have been.
Our television marathon was brought to an end by me having to get changed and head out to the store where I work, in order to catch a lift to the Hollywood Bowl to take part in a staff 10 pin bowling contest. It was well attended, with about 50 people in all, most of whom got very drunk. I had three pints of lager, a bottle of Reef and a double Jack Daniels and coke, which got me in a more melancholy than merry mood. My bowling didn't help. I;m not a sore loser, but I do prefer to win, and I bowled like crap tonight.
In an average game of 10 pin bowling, I'll usually score somewhere between 80-100 and I have a couple times gone nicely into triple figures. Not so tonight, as we played 2 games, and I bowled 62 in the first, 75 in the second. What's worse is that at the end of the night the team I was in got given the wooden spoons for lowest scoring team, even though we twice outscored those in the lane next to us. They got a bottle of wine each!
Still, as my Mum pointed out in the car on the trip back home (after grabbing some food at the McD's cos I was ravenous by then), a wooden spoon is going to be a lot more use when I live in a house of three bachelors, none of whom like doing the washing up. It will come in useful the next time I make stir fry. So today has been good all in all, a nice start to my week off work. Still got a couple episodes each of Lost and Smallville to catch up on too, but they'll have to wait until Tuesday night I think.
Following this we also watched episode 2.12 of Stargate SG-1 and 2.12 of Battlestar Galactica, both of which were a lot of fun. I love those 3 shows, Atlantis is my favourite but Galactica is the best written and acted of the trio. I'm just a sucker for anything to do with the famed lost city, always have been.
Our television marathon was brought to an end by me having to get changed and head out to the store where I work, in order to catch a lift to the Hollywood Bowl to take part in a staff 10 pin bowling contest. It was well attended, with about 50 people in all, most of whom got very drunk. I had three pints of lager, a bottle of Reef and a double Jack Daniels and coke, which got me in a more melancholy than merry mood. My bowling didn't help. I;m not a sore loser, but I do prefer to win, and I bowled like crap tonight.
In an average game of 10 pin bowling, I'll usually score somewhere between 80-100 and I have a couple times gone nicely into triple figures. Not so tonight, as we played 2 games, and I bowled 62 in the first, 75 in the second. What's worse is that at the end of the night the team I was in got given the wooden spoons for lowest scoring team, even though we twice outscored those in the lane next to us. They got a bottle of wine each!
Still, as my Mum pointed out in the car on the trip back home (after grabbing some food at the McD's cos I was ravenous by then), a wooden spoon is going to be a lot more use when I live in a house of three bachelors, none of whom like doing the washing up. It will come in useful the next time I make stir fry. So today has been good all in all, a nice start to my week off work. Still got a couple episodes each of Lost and Smallville to catch up on too, but they'll have to wait until Tuesday night I think.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Time For Some Time Off
Not from writing this blog though, no I enjoy this outlet for too much to give it up. I'm referring to me being on holiday for the next week, using up almost the last of my holiday entitlement for this year (just 2 days worth left, think I'll book them off in March). I lacked the money to do my usual holiday treat buying habit, so I'll live off what I have in my cupboards and the freezer for the week. I'll likely make a trip to Tesco in a few days for bread, milk and stuff to put in sandwiches (most likely Corned Beef, Ham from the Deli counter, or a can of Pink Salmon).
I have a couple things planned though. As I write this Tony is busily downloading the new episodes that showed in the states last night of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica. so there will be quality television to watch in a while. I still have a half dozen cans of Fosters left too! Tomorrow night a large group of Morrisons employees are going to the local 10 pin bowling alley (The Hollywood Bowl), for a competition. So I'm going along with them. I have no idea what team I am in, but I'm sure I'll find out once I get there.
On Monday it will be my 30th birthday, and I lack the funds to "celebrate" in the style I have for the past few years. Namely I have vanished to the cinema for the day and watched movies back to back, or in my own words "I spend the day in any world but this one". But this year I'm skint, so that's not an option. and as I've been told by a few friends, a 30th birthday is special and should be celebrated. So my Mum has booked a table at the Mandarin chinese restaurant for the evening, and a good sized group of my friends have been invited. It is a good restaurant, I've eaten in there several times before and I'm looking forward to that night out.
Lastly unlike most holidays where I spend the time lounging around and doing nothing, I have something to do this time. A home study course in Proofreading and Copy Editing. I bought it a few years back, andI got most of the way through it before giving up. Here's hoping second time around will be the charm, because if I can pass it, I can go freelance as a proofreader, earn 3-4 times what I do now, work from home (no more fucking awful uniform!), and clear my debts. I am sick and tired of my answer to everything being "I don't have the money".
Holiday? Not bloody likely. I have the means and the brains to get myself out of this rut I've been in for far too long. People talk about a mid life crisis, mines been building for years and I'm taking it early. As an added motivation I'm setting myself a reward. If I can get myself out of debt by July 2008, then in 2009 I will take a 3 month vacation and go off and tour the world for a bit. There are many many people and places I want to meet and visit in the world. My reward to myself will be one hell of a holiday to make up for all the ones I'm gonna be working through until then. Wish me luck!
I have a couple things planned though. As I write this Tony is busily downloading the new episodes that showed in the states last night of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica. so there will be quality television to watch in a while. I still have a half dozen cans of Fosters left too! Tomorrow night a large group of Morrisons employees are going to the local 10 pin bowling alley (The Hollywood Bowl), for a competition. So I'm going along with them. I have no idea what team I am in, but I'm sure I'll find out once I get there.
On Monday it will be my 30th birthday, and I lack the funds to "celebrate" in the style I have for the past few years. Namely I have vanished to the cinema for the day and watched movies back to back, or in my own words "I spend the day in any world but this one". But this year I'm skint, so that's not an option. and as I've been told by a few friends, a 30th birthday is special and should be celebrated. So my Mum has booked a table at the Mandarin chinese restaurant for the evening, and a good sized group of my friends have been invited. It is a good restaurant, I've eaten in there several times before and I'm looking forward to that night out.
Lastly unlike most holidays where I spend the time lounging around and doing nothing, I have something to do this time. A home study course in Proofreading and Copy Editing. I bought it a few years back, andI got most of the way through it before giving up. Here's hoping second time around will be the charm, because if I can pass it, I can go freelance as a proofreader, earn 3-4 times what I do now, work from home (no more fucking awful uniform!), and clear my debts. I am sick and tired of my answer to everything being "I don't have the money".
Holiday? Not bloody likely. I have the means and the brains to get myself out of this rut I've been in for far too long. People talk about a mid life crisis, mines been building for years and I'm taking it early. As an added motivation I'm setting myself a reward. If I can get myself out of debt by July 2008, then in 2009 I will take a 3 month vacation and go off and tour the world for a bit. There are many many people and places I want to meet and visit in the world. My reward to myself will be one hell of a holiday to make up for all the ones I'm gonna be working through until then. Wish me luck!
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
I just love this song, I know most of the lyrics off by heart, and it's a song I'll always get up and dance too. It is regularly played on Saturday nights at the Market House. I remember it because it was knocked off the top of the charts by the crazy song Star Trekkin, while I was on holiday with my family in Jersey.
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Jefferson Starship
Looking in your eyes I see a paradise
This world that I've found
Is too good to be true
Standing here beside you
Want so much to give you
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you
Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that
Put your hand in my hand baby
Don't ever look back
Let the world around us just fall apart
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart
And we can build this dream together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now
I'm so glad I found you
I'm not gonna lose you
Whatever it takes I will stay here with you
Take it to the good times
See it through the bad times
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do
Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know
Put your arms around me baby
Don't ever let go
Let the world around us just fall apart
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart
And we can build this dream together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us
Ooh, all that I need is you
All that I ever need
And all that I want to do
Is hold you forever, ever and ever, hey
And we can build this dream together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us
Nothing's gonna stop us, whoa
Nothing's gonna stop us now, oh no
Hey baby, I know, hey baby, nothing's gonna stop us
Hey baby, woo, nothing, hey baby
Nothing's gonna stop us now yeah
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Jefferson Starship
Looking in your eyes I see a paradise
This world that I've found
Is too good to be true
Standing here beside you
Want so much to give you
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you
Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that
Put your hand in my hand baby
Don't ever look back
Let the world around us just fall apart
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart
And we can build this dream together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now
I'm so glad I found you
I'm not gonna lose you
Whatever it takes I will stay here with you
Take it to the good times
See it through the bad times
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do
Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know
Put your arms around me baby
Don't ever let go
Let the world around us just fall apart
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart
And we can build this dream together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us
Ooh, all that I need is you
All that I ever need
And all that I want to do
Is hold you forever, ever and ever, hey
And we can build this dream together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now
And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us
Nothing's gonna stop us, whoa
Nothing's gonna stop us now, oh no
Hey baby, I know, hey baby, nothing's gonna stop us
Hey baby, woo, nothing, hey baby
Nothing's gonna stop us now yeah
A Mission Improbable
Today I overheard an interesting conversation between a couple people, namely my good friends Jeannette Poole (I really need to do a Rogues Gallery entry for her someday), and Richard Adams in the staff canteen at work today, whilst I was on my hour break. They were discussing ways to distract Jeannette's friend Lyndsey, as she has apparently gotten rather possessive of late. Jeannette's chosen solution to this problem was to find her friend a partner, and thus divert her possessive streak onto whatever individual she could get to go out with her.
The problem with this is that Lyndsey.... isn't terribly likeable. I'd class my relationship with her as "the best of enemies", we cannot stand one another, and yet at times oddly enough we can be perfectly civil to each other (usually when there are no witnesses). Most of this is down to a major clash of personalities, Lyndsey is very bossy and authoritative, she is loud and has a very in-your-face kind of attitude to most things (especially if things are not getting done the way she wants them done!). I'm a lot more laid back, I'm quiet, I rarely ever raise my voice even when arguing with people, as I find simply talking through an argument, undermines any amount of ranting and raging that an opponent throws at me.
So I had to laugh listening to the pair of them going through a list of possible candidates for the post of boyfriend (none of which I'm going to name. I might not be sworn to silence on the matter, but Richard is bigger than me, and Jeannette is far more devious!). I did ask why Jeannette doesn't just tell her friend to stop crowding her, but apparently that isn't an option. And so rather than a simple (if blunt) solution to the problem, she is faced with not a Mission Impossible (as Lyndsey has had boyfriends before apparently), but a Mission Improbable, as I don't think she knows anyone who knows Lyndsey who would be willing to date her. Still, best of luck trying!
The problem with this is that Lyndsey.... isn't terribly likeable. I'd class my relationship with her as "the best of enemies", we cannot stand one another, and yet at times oddly enough we can be perfectly civil to each other (usually when there are no witnesses). Most of this is down to a major clash of personalities, Lyndsey is very bossy and authoritative, she is loud and has a very in-your-face kind of attitude to most things (especially if things are not getting done the way she wants them done!). I'm a lot more laid back, I'm quiet, I rarely ever raise my voice even when arguing with people, as I find simply talking through an argument, undermines any amount of ranting and raging that an opponent throws at me.
So I had to laugh listening to the pair of them going through a list of possible candidates for the post of boyfriend (none of which I'm going to name. I might not be sworn to silence on the matter, but Richard is bigger than me, and Jeannette is far more devious!). I did ask why Jeannette doesn't just tell her friend to stop crowding her, but apparently that isn't an option. And so rather than a simple (if blunt) solution to the problem, she is faced with not a Mission Impossible (as Lyndsey has had boyfriends before apparently), but a Mission Improbable, as I don't think she knows anyone who knows Lyndsey who would be willing to date her. Still, best of luck trying!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Apparently I'm A Wizard!
Saw this test on a message board I often browse and had to have a go. Here is my result:
Go and give it a try, see what you end up classed as!
| Wizard 48% Combativeness, 50% Sneakiness, 70% Intellect, 22% Spirituality |
| Brilliant! You are a Wizard! Wizards are spellcasters who study powerful arcane magic. While Wizards tend to be pretty fragile, some of those spells can pack quite a punch. Unlike Clerics, Wizards aren’t as good at fixing people as they are at breaking them, so watch where you toss that fireball… Your most distinctive trait is your intelligence. You're probably well learned and logical, if perhaps a bit fragile. |
 |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The RPG Class Test written by MFlowers on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
Lookeee... New Links!
I've added a couple new links to the sidebar this evening, both of which I've been meaning to add for a while now. The links are as follows:
Abby's Agency: A webcomic detailing the job of a girl called Abby Normal. Unfortunately her job is anything but normal, as she works as the receptionist for the headquarters of Worldstar Conglomerate, which is a cover company for an international counter-espionage ring (much like Universal Exports is the cover for who James Bond works for). What's worse is that it is a very badly run organisation (they have a former arch villain running their canteen!), and the operatives at Station J (in Jamaica) are permanently stoned! It is a very funny webcomic, updated on most Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Striptease: This is a brilliant webcomic whose main character is Max. Max draws a comic book called Neato-People, works for his best friend Emily, and is in love with fellow artist Alli, as well as being a huge fan of Joss Whedon's tv shows. There is a great cast of other characters, many of whom are more interesting (to me anyway) than Max himself, such as Alli's evil twin Naomi, Kim the vampish asian lawyer, and the misadventures of the band Bohica Mouse. The comic is updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
As with any webcomic I heartily reccomend starting to read it from the very beginning, especially Striptease which has long continuity heavy storylines. Hope you check them out and enjoy reading them if you do.
Abby's Agency: A webcomic detailing the job of a girl called Abby Normal. Unfortunately her job is anything but normal, as she works as the receptionist for the headquarters of Worldstar Conglomerate, which is a cover company for an international counter-espionage ring (much like Universal Exports is the cover for who James Bond works for). What's worse is that it is a very badly run organisation (they have a former arch villain running their canteen!), and the operatives at Station J (in Jamaica) are permanently stoned! It is a very funny webcomic, updated on most Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Striptease: This is a brilliant webcomic whose main character is Max. Max draws a comic book called Neato-People, works for his best friend Emily, and is in love with fellow artist Alli, as well as being a huge fan of Joss Whedon's tv shows. There is a great cast of other characters, many of whom are more interesting (to me anyway) than Max himself, such as Alli's evil twin Naomi, Kim the vampish asian lawyer, and the misadventures of the band Bohica Mouse. The comic is updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
As with any webcomic I heartily reccomend starting to read it from the very beginning, especially Striptease which has long continuity heavy storylines. Hope you check them out and enjoy reading them if you do.
Razor Blade Smiles
It would seem that the store I work at is attracting a new breed of "customer " these days. I put customer in quotes because... well these ones don't actually buy anything. Let me start at the beginning, cos that's always been a sensible place to start anything from. A couple weeks back we grabbed a shoplifter in the store, a teenage girl. I don't remember what it was she was caught stealing, and that isn't really relevant to this matter anyway.
So we did what we always do with thieves, march them to the store managers office, secure them in there and phone the police to come and collect them. Only this girl as soon as she's locked in the room, starts threatening to slash her wrists if we don't let her go. And she started to try and do ust that. Lacking a blade of any kind, she tried opening her wrists with a ball point pen. So we called the police and told them what was going on and to haul ass. They still took their time getting there, but as far as I know the girl failed in her attempt.
Fast forward too tonight and I'm sat in the Admin office (pulling a close down shift), and the walkie talkie flares up to call our store manager to the front door. At the same time reception puts out a call for a First Aider to make their way to the store foyer. Turns out some girl outside had tripped and fallen on glass, and has come in with their hands and wrists all slashed up. Our security guard wasn't convinced though, and he kept an eye on the girl's friend who had come in with her and gone wandering about the store, when the injured girl had been taken to the ladies toilets.
And he caught her stealing a pack of razor blades... which she then calmly slit her wrists with! He watched her do this. And it turns out that the first girl had done the same thing, as there was no sign of any broken glass anywhere near the store entrance for her to have fallen on. An ambulance was summoned and the paramedics duly warned that the two girls were... well nuts for want of a better term. They were also of course, armed and possibly dangerous.
In talking to our security guard later on, I learned that the girl who he had watched slash her wrists had also tried to stab him a week or two ago, again in or near the store! I'd love to know why all of a sudden my store, is every suicidal girl's venue of choice. I've contemplated suicide plenty of times, made one serious attempt at it whilst in University too. Not something I'd entertain these days though. Suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness, of caring only about you and how you feel. And not stopping to think of how your death will devastate those around you.
I know it has that effect, because one of my best friends committed suicide just under 2 years ago, and I still feel his loss now. The only good that has come out of that experience, is that mine and Tony's friendship grew a lot stronger because of us both losing a friend together. I still miss him, I always will, but if I were to meet him now somehow, after what he did... I'd deck him! I know what can drive people to attempt suicide because I've been there and tried (and obviously failed), but why these girls of late have sought to do this so publically I don't understand at all.
So we did what we always do with thieves, march them to the store managers office, secure them in there and phone the police to come and collect them. Only this girl as soon as she's locked in the room, starts threatening to slash her wrists if we don't let her go. And she started to try and do ust that. Lacking a blade of any kind, she tried opening her wrists with a ball point pen. So we called the police and told them what was going on and to haul ass. They still took their time getting there, but as far as I know the girl failed in her attempt.
Fast forward too tonight and I'm sat in the Admin office (pulling a close down shift), and the walkie talkie flares up to call our store manager to the front door. At the same time reception puts out a call for a First Aider to make their way to the store foyer. Turns out some girl outside had tripped and fallen on glass, and has come in with their hands and wrists all slashed up. Our security guard wasn't convinced though, and he kept an eye on the girl's friend who had come in with her and gone wandering about the store, when the injured girl had been taken to the ladies toilets.
And he caught her stealing a pack of razor blades... which she then calmly slit her wrists with! He watched her do this. And it turns out that the first girl had done the same thing, as there was no sign of any broken glass anywhere near the store entrance for her to have fallen on. An ambulance was summoned and the paramedics duly warned that the two girls were... well nuts for want of a better term. They were also of course, armed and possibly dangerous.
In talking to our security guard later on, I learned that the girl who he had watched slash her wrists had also tried to stab him a week or two ago, again in or near the store! I'd love to know why all of a sudden my store, is every suicidal girl's venue of choice. I've contemplated suicide plenty of times, made one serious attempt at it whilst in University too. Not something I'd entertain these days though. Suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness, of caring only about you and how you feel. And not stopping to think of how your death will devastate those around you.
I know it has that effect, because one of my best friends committed suicide just under 2 years ago, and I still feel his loss now. The only good that has come out of that experience, is that mine and Tony's friendship grew a lot stronger because of us both losing a friend together. I still miss him, I always will, but if I were to meet him now somehow, after what he did... I'd deck him! I know what can drive people to attempt suicide because I've been there and tried (and obviously failed), but why these girls of late have sought to do this so publically I don't understand at all.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Ballroom Blitz
This song rocks! A kickass tune teamed with great lyrics. True they aren't exactly meaningful, but they really do complement the rythmn perfectly. And I know that the Blue Oyster Cult did this song, and so have a half a dozen other bands, but the version I like best is that performed by the stunning asian actress Tia Carrere, in the movie Wayne's World. A shame really she preferred a career as a B movie actress, as with this tune she proved she is a damn good singer.
Ballroom Blitz by Tia Carrere
Oh, it's been getting so hard
Living with the things you do to me
My dreams are getting so strange
I'd like to tell you everything I see
I see a man at the back as a matter of fact
His eyes are as red as the sun
And the girl in the corner let no one ignore her
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one
Oh yeah, it was like lightning
Everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing
And they all started grooving
Oooh yeah
And the man in the back said "everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said "boy, I wanna warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
I'm reaching out for something
Touching nothing's all I ever do
I softly call you over
When you appear, there's nothing left of you
Now, the man in the back is ready to crack
As he's raising his hands to the sky
And the girl in the corner is everyone's woman
She could kill you with a wink of her eye
Oh yeah, it was electric
So prefectly hectic
And the band started leaving
'Cause they all stopped breathing
Whoa, yeah
And the man in the back said "everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said "boy, I wanna warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
It was electric
So practically hectic
And the band started leaving
'Cause they all stopped breathing
Whoa, yeah
And the man in the back said "everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said "boy, I wanna warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
WHOAAAAA!
Ballroom Blitz by Tia Carrere
Oh, it's been getting so hard
Living with the things you do to me
My dreams are getting so strange
I'd like to tell you everything I see
I see a man at the back as a matter of fact
His eyes are as red as the sun
And the girl in the corner let no one ignore her
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one
Oh yeah, it was like lightning
Everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing
And they all started grooving
Oooh yeah
And the man in the back said "everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said "boy, I wanna warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
I'm reaching out for something
Touching nothing's all I ever do
I softly call you over
When you appear, there's nothing left of you
Now, the man in the back is ready to crack
As he's raising his hands to the sky
And the girl in the corner is everyone's woman
She could kill you with a wink of her eye
Oh yeah, it was electric
So prefectly hectic
And the band started leaving
'Cause they all stopped breathing
Whoa, yeah
And the man in the back said "everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said "boy, I wanna warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
It was electric
So practically hectic
And the band started leaving
'Cause they all stopped breathing
Whoa, yeah
And the man in the back said "everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said "boy, I wanna warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
WHOAAAAA!
A Surveyor Came Calling
For the last half hour or so I've been escorting a surveyor through our house, as he did an evaluation of it. The reason being that our landlady Anne Parfitt wishes to take out a second mortgage on the house, most likely to fund something in the city of Bath where she lives (she works there as a University lecturer). Before she can get the mortgage, the house had to be evaluated and valued, as I imagine that that hadn't been done in quite some time.
The man was late, he came from the town of Wellington and couldn't find parking, and then he couldn't find the house. Still he got here at about 10:40am. I didn't ask his name and he didn't give it, he just went about his work, starting at the top of the house and working his way down. We chatted about this and that, the usual kind of smalltalk, he was mostly interested in what life in this house was like, which was to be expected.
When he was done I bid him goodbye and shut the front door and went to walk upstairs, and then suddenly remembered I wanted to ask him something. So I darted back to the door and opened it, and he was measuring the width of the front of the house. "How much is this house worth?" was my question, something I'd wanted to know ever since we first moved in. My curiosity had grown after next door went up for sale for £230,000 (next door comprises a two bedroom maisonette flat above a shop).
"About £175,000, give or take" was his reply. I looked surprised (because I was), and he went on to explain that the buildings odd design worked against it in some regards. Being next door to a pub, few would want to buy it as a residence, and as it lacks a good garden it is unsuited to being a family home. Also there is no parking, and our front door opens onto the pavement of a very busy road. While the building is ideally situated close to the town centre, and thus could appeal to someone wanting to buy it to rent it, the buildings odd design again works against it.
It would be difficult to have more than three tenants here (or three couples), which means that the rent limit is roughly what we are already paying. Which is a bad investment, as the average mortgage wouldn't be paid off over a 25 year term, by the rent alone, meaning an investor would lose money, or have to charge considerably more rent, and thus price the house too high to attract tenants.
I love this house, I really do. So now I just need to win the lottery somehow and convince Anne to sell it, because I'd love to buy it.
The man was late, he came from the town of Wellington and couldn't find parking, and then he couldn't find the house. Still he got here at about 10:40am. I didn't ask his name and he didn't give it, he just went about his work, starting at the top of the house and working his way down. We chatted about this and that, the usual kind of smalltalk, he was mostly interested in what life in this house was like, which was to be expected.
When he was done I bid him goodbye and shut the front door and went to walk upstairs, and then suddenly remembered I wanted to ask him something. So I darted back to the door and opened it, and he was measuring the width of the front of the house. "How much is this house worth?" was my question, something I'd wanted to know ever since we first moved in. My curiosity had grown after next door went up for sale for £230,000 (next door comprises a two bedroom maisonette flat above a shop).
"About £175,000, give or take" was his reply. I looked surprised (because I was), and he went on to explain that the buildings odd design worked against it in some regards. Being next door to a pub, few would want to buy it as a residence, and as it lacks a good garden it is unsuited to being a family home. Also there is no parking, and our front door opens onto the pavement of a very busy road. While the building is ideally situated close to the town centre, and thus could appeal to someone wanting to buy it to rent it, the buildings odd design again works against it.
It would be difficult to have more than three tenants here (or three couples), which means that the rent limit is roughly what we are already paying. Which is a bad investment, as the average mortgage wouldn't be paid off over a 25 year term, by the rent alone, meaning an investor would lose money, or have to charge considerably more rent, and thus price the house too high to attract tenants.
I love this house, I really do. So now I just need to win the lottery somehow and convince Anne to sell it, because I'd love to buy it.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Philosophy 101
I found this on the net and thought I'd post it here, cos it is a fun read, but also a very cleverly written analysis on how to live life:
A professor stood before his Philosophy 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous - - yes.
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - - your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions - - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - - the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first, " he continued, "then there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time for you to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers!"
A professor stood before his Philosophy 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous - - yes.
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - - your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions - - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - - the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first, " he continued, "then there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time for you to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers!"
Garbage Day?
It's early Monday morning and we've just put out the trash. It was a lot of trash, like 15 bags worth of it. The reason there is so much rubbish for just 3 residents is because of our councils recycling policy. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for recycling, but not when it is so poorly organised.
Our council however has decided that instead of regular trash collections every week, we are going to have an alternating system instead. Regular trash will be collected every other week, and in the gap weeks, recyclable waste will be collected. Which would be great, only they haven't exactly publicised which week is which. And if you put the bags out on the wrong week, not only do they not get collected but you can get fined for "littering". Which is a scheme dreamed up by some money grabbing schmuck in County Hall (which is just across the road, if I had a rocket launcher I could shoot the place from my window!) no doubt.
We don't know whether today is regular trash day or not, but with 15 bags of the stuff sat out in our tiny back garden smelling, we can't afford to miss another collection day by being over cautious again. For recycling we have been provided with a single "green box", which is exactly what it sounds like, a green plastic tub that we are suppossed to put recyclables in and sit outside our front door.
The problem with these is that they are VERY useful for things other than recycling, in particular shopping as a pair of these tubs fits nicely into a shopping trolley, and thus saves a lot of time and bother at the checkouts with packing goods into carrier bags. I've seen them used in this fashion several times, and so the tubs once the garbage truck has emptied them and left them sat outside the house, are very likely to get stolen. And since they are property of the council, and have to be turned over on demand, if you don't have the one you were issued with, you get another fine! A classic case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Our council however has decided that instead of regular trash collections every week, we are going to have an alternating system instead. Regular trash will be collected every other week, and in the gap weeks, recyclable waste will be collected. Which would be great, only they haven't exactly publicised which week is which. And if you put the bags out on the wrong week, not only do they not get collected but you can get fined for "littering". Which is a scheme dreamed up by some money grabbing schmuck in County Hall (which is just across the road, if I had a rocket launcher I could shoot the place from my window!) no doubt.
We don't know whether today is regular trash day or not, but with 15 bags of the stuff sat out in our tiny back garden smelling, we can't afford to miss another collection day by being over cautious again. For recycling we have been provided with a single "green box", which is exactly what it sounds like, a green plastic tub that we are suppossed to put recyclables in and sit outside our front door.
The problem with these is that they are VERY useful for things other than recycling, in particular shopping as a pair of these tubs fits nicely into a shopping trolley, and thus saves a lot of time and bother at the checkouts with packing goods into carrier bags. I've seen them used in this fashion several times, and so the tubs once the garbage truck has emptied them and left them sat outside the house, are very likely to get stolen. And since they are property of the council, and have to be turned over on demand, if you don't have the one you were issued with, you get another fine! A classic case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.
An Urrgghh Morning
Heh I love that picture! So yeah this morning has not been the best thus far. Went to bed late last night, but despite that (and a few cans of Fosters lager), I still woke up at about 6:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm feeling a bit urgghh yeah, though I imagine that the pint of coffee I'm going to make for myself in a little bit will help me to overcome that, and become my usual cheery self... or not!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Mistress Of The Night: A Book Review
I finished another book on my lunch hour at work today, this one a Xmas present from my brother. Mistress of the Night by Don Bassingthwaite & Dave Gross is a Forgotten Realms novel, and part of a quartet of stand-alone stories called The Priests. Other volumes in this series include Lady of Poison and Queen of the Depths. I have also read the fourth book Maiden of Pain, before I started writing this blog. Each book in the series concentrates on a servant of one of the many gods of the Realms. Oddly though in this case, while the book focuses on a priestess of Selûne, it is named for her church's arch enemy, the goddess Shar.
Shar and Selûne are the two oldest deities of the Forgotten Realms setting, twin sisters who have battled since before time, their eternal conflict in turn creating the other gods of magic, war, death and more in the process. The book includes a wonderful poem that nicely details their enmity and I quote it in its entirety here:
The book focuses on Feena Archwood, a rustic prietess who is summoned (very much against her will) to Moonshadow Hall in the port city of Yhaunn, by the High Moonmistress Dhauna Myritar. No sooner has Feena arrived, then she is named as Dhauna's successor, to her shock and the outrage of the two senior priests of the Hall, Velsinore and Mifano, both of whom believe that the position should be theirs. For her part Feena hates cities, she is a village priestess and she cannot imagine why Dhauna has done this.
Dhauna is being driven slowly mad by a series of powerful dreams that seem to warn of heresy in the clergy, and is spending her days searching through the Hall’s archives for a clue to some secret hidden in the church’s past. To make matters worse for Feena, on the night she arrived in Yhaunn, a man was found mutilated as though by a wild beast in the city slums... and Feena is a werewolf! She is however a born lycanthrope, rather than an afflicted one, and thus can control herself in animal form. So she knows she didn't cause the man's death, but she had snuck out into the city to prowl and clear her head that night, after the suprising events of the day, and so she starts investigating.
The character of Feena is very well written, she is a woman who would rather be anywhere and doing anything, but what she finds herself doing. She wants a simple life, and finds herself thrust into the limelight, a role to which she isn't suited, but must adapt too and fast! It is very easy to empathise with her situation, and a testament to the skills of the authors that they conveyed very well, just how trapped she feels.
The other characters in the book are not so well written though. Both Velsinore and Mifano are very two-dimensional, and Julith (Dhauna’s aide, who is tasked with helping Feena), never really evolves past a humble secretary. The villain of the piece: Variance Amatick (a priestess of Shar), is far too blatant in her manipulations, to be a believable servant of a goddess whose cult is extremely secretive. The other major character is Keph Thingoleir, a dissatisfied nobleman from a family of wizards. He himself has no magical potential and is resentful of this. His petty jealousy is taken advantage of by Variance, in her mission to recover a long lost book that is sacred to Shar. Keph is fairly well written, and while he is stupid enough to fall in with the cult, he soon realises that he is way out of his depth.
The plot whilst convoluted, is very engaging and it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next right until the end. There are not many stories that manage to do that! I’m going to give this novel 4/5 as a result. It is a shame really that there aren’t any more books in this series to read, as I’ve enjoyed all four of the Priests novels.
Shar and Selûne are the two oldest deities of the Forgotten Realms setting, twin sisters who have battled since before time, their eternal conflict in turn creating the other gods of magic, war, death and more in the process. The book includes a wonderful poem that nicely details their enmity and I quote it in its entirety here:
From the shadows of chaos, two sisters are born,
One bright Selûne, the other dark Shar.
A harmonious balance, soon to be torn,
When Selûne gifts life with flame from afar!
At the dawn of the world, two sisters contest,
Over dark, over light, over life, over death.
Shar seeks the void and with shadows coalesced,
Snuffs Selûne's bright lights and with them her breath!
In the twilight of battle, one sister falters,
But Selûne hurls magic with desperate power.
From two sisters, one child the balance alters-
Mystryl's aid to Selûne ends Shar's dark hour!
Selûne, Moonmaiden - Shar, Mistress of Night
Two sisters divided by one sisters spite
One bright Selûne, the other dark Shar.
A harmonious balance, soon to be torn,
When Selûne gifts life with flame from afar!
At the dawn of the world, two sisters contest,
Over dark, over light, over life, over death.
Shar seeks the void and with shadows coalesced,
Snuffs Selûne's bright lights and with them her breath!
In the twilight of battle, one sister falters,
But Selûne hurls magic with desperate power.
From two sisters, one child the balance alters-
Mystryl's aid to Selûne ends Shar's dark hour!
Selûne, Moonmaiden - Shar, Mistress of Night
Two sisters divided by one sisters spite
The book focuses on Feena Archwood, a rustic prietess who is summoned (very much against her will) to Moonshadow Hall in the port city of Yhaunn, by the High Moonmistress Dhauna Myritar. No sooner has Feena arrived, then she is named as Dhauna's successor, to her shock and the outrage of the two senior priests of the Hall, Velsinore and Mifano, both of whom believe that the position should be theirs. For her part Feena hates cities, she is a village priestess and she cannot imagine why Dhauna has done this.
Dhauna is being driven slowly mad by a series of powerful dreams that seem to warn of heresy in the clergy, and is spending her days searching through the Hall’s archives for a clue to some secret hidden in the church’s past. To make matters worse for Feena, on the night she arrived in Yhaunn, a man was found mutilated as though by a wild beast in the city slums... and Feena is a werewolf! She is however a born lycanthrope, rather than an afflicted one, and thus can control herself in animal form. So she knows she didn't cause the man's death, but she had snuck out into the city to prowl and clear her head that night, after the suprising events of the day, and so she starts investigating.
The character of Feena is very well written, she is a woman who would rather be anywhere and doing anything, but what she finds herself doing. She wants a simple life, and finds herself thrust into the limelight, a role to which she isn't suited, but must adapt too and fast! It is very easy to empathise with her situation, and a testament to the skills of the authors that they conveyed very well, just how trapped she feels.
The other characters in the book are not so well written though. Both Velsinore and Mifano are very two-dimensional, and Julith (Dhauna’s aide, who is tasked with helping Feena), never really evolves past a humble secretary. The villain of the piece: Variance Amatick (a priestess of Shar), is far too blatant in her manipulations, to be a believable servant of a goddess whose cult is extremely secretive. The other major character is Keph Thingoleir, a dissatisfied nobleman from a family of wizards. He himself has no magical potential and is resentful of this. His petty jealousy is taken advantage of by Variance, in her mission to recover a long lost book that is sacred to Shar. Keph is fairly well written, and while he is stupid enough to fall in with the cult, he soon realises that he is way out of his depth.
The plot whilst convoluted, is very engaging and it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next right until the end. There are not many stories that manage to do that! I’m going to give this novel 4/5 as a result. It is a shame really that there aren’t any more books in this series to read, as I’ve enjoyed all four of the Priests novels.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Itsy Bitsy
This isn't the original version of this song, though the lyrics are more or less the same (this version having a few more "Oh yeah's" added in). This version was released by a band with a very silly name, which was led by former Children's TV Presenter Timmy Mallott, who had been a staple of Saturday morning entertainment for years. What I find fascinating about this song is that the man behind the band, is none other than Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, better known for his numerous musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Starlight Express.
He had put the group together, after years of trying and failing to get a number 1 record in the UK with songs from his musicals. This song went straight to number one, and stayed there for three weeks. I imagine that at the time he was thrilled to have finally gotten that elusive top of the chart single, but since he has never repeated the feat, I imagine deep down it's gotta be annoying that he could top the charts with this nonsense song, when far better tunes such as Michael Ball's powerful rendition of Love Changes Everything couldn't do it!
Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini by Bombalurina
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
I like it
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Oh yeah
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
I like it
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was as nervous as she could be
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was afraid that somebody would see
(Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore)
It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
(Two, three, four, stick around we'll tell ya more)
She was afraid to come out in the open
And so a blanket around her she wore
She was afraid to come out in the open
And so she sat bundled up on the shore
(Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore)
It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the blanket she wanted to stay
We gonna have big fun tonight ha ha ha
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Oh yeah
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
I like it
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Oh yeah
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
Now she's afraid to come of the water
And I wonder what she's gonna do
Now she's afraid to come out of the water
And the poor little girl's turnin' blue
(Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore)
It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the water she wanted to stay
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the water she wanted to stay
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the water she wanted to stay.
He had put the group together, after years of trying and failing to get a number 1 record in the UK with songs from his musicals. This song went straight to number one, and stayed there for three weeks. I imagine that at the time he was thrilled to have finally gotten that elusive top of the chart single, but since he has never repeated the feat, I imagine deep down it's gotta be annoying that he could top the charts with this nonsense song, when far better tunes such as Michael Ball's powerful rendition of Love Changes Everything couldn't do it!
Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini by Bombalurina
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
I like it
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Oh yeah
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
I like it
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was as nervous as she could be
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was afraid that somebody would see
(Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore)
It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
(Two, three, four, stick around we'll tell ya more)
She was afraid to come out in the open
And so a blanket around her she wore
She was afraid to come out in the open
And so she sat bundled up on the shore
(Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore)
It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the blanket she wanted to stay
We gonna have big fun tonight ha ha ha
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Oh yeah
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
I like it
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Oh yeah
Go on girl, go on, go on, go on girl
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the locker she wanted to stay
Now she's afraid to come of the water
And I wonder what she's gonna do
Now she's afraid to come out of the water
And the poor little girl's turnin' blue
(Two, three, four, tell the people what she wore)
It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the water she wanted to stay
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the water she wanted to stay
Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
That she wore for the first time today (Oh yeah)
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini
So in the water she wanted to stay.
Five Minutes Of Mayhem
Every once in a while, the three of us in this house will gather together and do the dishes. This isn't as regular an occurence as it really should be, but it is one that I enjoy. I generally do the washing, while Tony and Gareth dry the dishes and put them away. And we'll chat whilst we do this, and have a laugh and a bit of larking about. But none of that is what this post is about, this post is about what came after the dishwashing today.
Namely the lightsaber battle! All three of us have toy lightsabers. Gareth has a slightly better model one with a green blade, whilst Tony and myself have simple telescopic red blade sabers. It was fun to do battle with them for a few minutes, even if the chosen battlefield wasn't a very clever one (the ground floor to first floor stairwell, which is both steep and narrow). Chaos abounded with all three of us gleefully attacking each other at random. It was a laugh though next time we do battle I think the lounge would be a better venue (though not too close to my television!)
I cheated to win, grabbing the pump-action watergun I keep in my room, and sending the other two running! I'll doubtless pay for that bit of trickery next time, but it'll have been worth it!
Namely the lightsaber battle! All three of us have toy lightsabers. Gareth has a slightly better model one with a green blade, whilst Tony and myself have simple telescopic red blade sabers. It was fun to do battle with them for a few minutes, even if the chosen battlefield wasn't a very clever one (the ground floor to first floor stairwell, which is both steep and narrow). Chaos abounded with all three of us gleefully attacking each other at random. It was a laugh though next time we do battle I think the lounge would be a better venue (though not too close to my television!)
I cheated to win, grabbing the pump-action watergun I keep in my room, and sending the other two running! I'll doubtless pay for that bit of trickery next time, but it'll have been worth it!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Elfshadow: A Book Review
Right I finished reading this book a few days back, so I am way overdue for writing up the review of it. My bad! Elfshadow by Elaine Cunningham is a Forgotten Realms novel, and the second in the Harpers series of books, each of which focuses on an agent (and sometimes more than one) of the semi-secretive organisation of that name, the members of which are sworn to battle evil and tyranny across the face of the continent. This book is odd in that neither of the two main characters are Harpers, or not fully anyway.
Arilyn Moonblade is the closest to being a Harper, a half-elven warrior woman named for the incredible sword she wields, an heirloom passed to her from her deceased mother. The Moonblade is as deadly as it is beautiful, slaying anyone but Arilyn who tries to wield it, and it possesses numerous powers, each wielder in its long history having granted the blade another power tailored to that wielder (for instance one of Arilyn's ancestors often fought Red Dragons, so the sword manifested a rune that rendered the wielder immune to fire). She is kept at a distance by the organisation though, for what she does is kill people, and officially the Harpers do not sponsor assassins.
Arilyn though is a hunted woman, everywhere she goes other Harpers are turning up dead, each branded with the Moon and Harp symbol of the organisation, and suspicion is beginning to mount that she is responsible. Wanting to find out more the archmage Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun (a highly ranked member of the Harpers) dispatches his nephew Danilo Thann to accompany Arilyn, he being under strict orders that she is not to know his purpose in travelling with her. To this end Danilo calls on his skills as a Bard and Noble, easily painting himself in the role of a foppish young dandy, when he is really anything but.
The pair are as alike as chalk and cheese, and yet they work well together, their banter making reading this book a joy. The other characters are well written too, from the sly Elaith "The Serpent" Craulnober (an elf with a very long streak of viciousness and duplicity in him), and Kymil Nimesin, Arilyn's friend and mentor with a well hidden agenda. These days Elaine is one of the major writers of the Realms, and seeing as this is her first book and she absolutely nails the world right from the start it isn't hard to see why.
Elfshadow gets a 4/5 rating from me, the book is superb but the ending is a bit rushed I felt, and in places the book uses magic as a crutch to explain things too easily. There are several sequels to this novel detailing the further adventures of this mismatched pair, and I'll likely read and review those in due course.
Arilyn Moonblade is the closest to being a Harper, a half-elven warrior woman named for the incredible sword she wields, an heirloom passed to her from her deceased mother. The Moonblade is as deadly as it is beautiful, slaying anyone but Arilyn who tries to wield it, and it possesses numerous powers, each wielder in its long history having granted the blade another power tailored to that wielder (for instance one of Arilyn's ancestors often fought Red Dragons, so the sword manifested a rune that rendered the wielder immune to fire). She is kept at a distance by the organisation though, for what she does is kill people, and officially the Harpers do not sponsor assassins.
Arilyn though is a hunted woman, everywhere she goes other Harpers are turning up dead, each branded with the Moon and Harp symbol of the organisation, and suspicion is beginning to mount that she is responsible. Wanting to find out more the archmage Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun (a highly ranked member of the Harpers) dispatches his nephew Danilo Thann to accompany Arilyn, he being under strict orders that she is not to know his purpose in travelling with her. To this end Danilo calls on his skills as a Bard and Noble, easily painting himself in the role of a foppish young dandy, when he is really anything but.
The pair are as alike as chalk and cheese, and yet they work well together, their banter making reading this book a joy. The other characters are well written too, from the sly Elaith "The Serpent" Craulnober (an elf with a very long streak of viciousness and duplicity in him), and Kymil Nimesin, Arilyn's friend and mentor with a well hidden agenda. These days Elaine is one of the major writers of the Realms, and seeing as this is her first book and she absolutely nails the world right from the start it isn't hard to see why.
Elfshadow gets a 4/5 rating from me, the book is superb but the ending is a bit rushed I felt, and in places the book uses magic as a crutch to explain things too easily. There are several sequels to this novel detailing the further adventures of this mismatched pair, and I'll likely read and review those in due course.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Cherish
No great memories are stirred by this song, other than a image of mermaids which if I remember rightly are featured in the video for the song. I just really like the tune and lyrics to this track, one of Madonna's less well known songs. I like the idea of the lyrics, in that they are those of a woman pouring out her feelings to a man, not knowing what she is going to get in return for her honesty. In my albeit limited experience, women are rarely this straight forward about who and what they want.
Cherish by Madonna
Cherish, cherish
So tired of broken hearts and losing at this game
Before I start this dance
I'll take a chance in telling you
I want more than just romance
You are my destiny
I can't let go -- baby, can't you see?
Cupid please take your aim at me
Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life (I'm always singing it)
Cherish your strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would
I was never satisfied with casual encounters
I can't hide my need for two hearts that bleed with burning love
That's the way it's got to be
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
So don't underestimate my point of view
Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life (I'm always singing it)
Cherish your strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would
Who? You! Can't get away I won't let you
Who? You! I could never forget to
Cherish is the word I use to remind me of your love
Keep giving it, keep giving it to me
Boy keep giving me all, all of your joy
Give me faith -- I will always cherish you
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
So don't underestimate my point of view
Who? You! Can't get away I won't let you
Who? You! I could never forget to
Cherish is the word I use to remind me of your love
Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life (I'm always singing it)
Cherish your strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would
Give me faith, give me joy, my boy
I will always cherish you
Cherish by Madonna
Cherish, cherish
So tired of broken hearts and losing at this game
Before I start this dance
I'll take a chance in telling you
I want more than just romance
You are my destiny
I can't let go -- baby, can't you see?
Cupid please take your aim at me
Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life (I'm always singing it)
Cherish your strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would
I was never satisfied with casual encounters
I can't hide my need for two hearts that bleed with burning love
That's the way it's got to be
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
So don't underestimate my point of view
Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life (I'm always singing it)
Cherish your strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would
Who? You! Can't get away I won't let you
Who? You! I could never forget to
Cherish is the word I use to remind me of your love
Keep giving it, keep giving it to me
Boy keep giving me all, all of your joy
Give me faith -- I will always cherish you
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
So don't underestimate my point of view
Who? You! Can't get away I won't let you
Who? You! I could never forget to
Cherish is the word I use to remind me of your love
Cherish the thought
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life (I'm always singing it)
Cherish your strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving, I never would
Give me faith, give me joy, my boy
I will always cherish you
A Good End To A Shift
Ahh today was a busy day at work, that ended very well indeed. It was busy as it was just me and my boss Mark O'Brien in the office all day, and there was a lot of info to tap into the computers. My fingers are kinda knackered after hours of that. And the phone just never seemed to stop ringing! I'm beginning to really hate that phone!
Towards the end of my shift though, Graeme Erskine (Manager of the Beers, Wines & Spirits dept) came into the office to ask to see a report, and as we looked at it I noticed that he'd reduced a case of Fosters lager. I asked about it, and he said that one of the cans was smashed, so he'd knocked the pack down to half price, or £5.29 for 23 cans! I asked if it had been sold, and he said no. At which point I reserved it for myself. I'd be insane not to get it for that price! Twenty three cans will fill my mini fridge nearly 6 times over, or to put it another way, it will keep me in beer for a good 2-3 weeks.
Had a hell of a time getting it home though, had to sit the pack on one end in two carrier bags, and then tie a third around those bags handles to give me a handle I could carry it by. And I had to keep swapping which arm I was carrying it with, because a case of beer isn't exactly light weight. Still it was worth the aggro to bring it home. A couple cans are now in the mini fridge (along with the remainder of the vodka I bought for New Years Eve), while the rest are in storage. Since I hate warm lager, I figure if I only keep a couple cans chilled at a time then I can't guzzle the cans away, and will thus make the case last longer.
Towards the end of my shift though, Graeme Erskine (Manager of the Beers, Wines & Spirits dept) came into the office to ask to see a report, and as we looked at it I noticed that he'd reduced a case of Fosters lager. I asked about it, and he said that one of the cans was smashed, so he'd knocked the pack down to half price, or £5.29 for 23 cans! I asked if it had been sold, and he said no. At which point I reserved it for myself. I'd be insane not to get it for that price! Twenty three cans will fill my mini fridge nearly 6 times over, or to put it another way, it will keep me in beer for a good 2-3 weeks.
Had a hell of a time getting it home though, had to sit the pack on one end in two carrier bags, and then tie a third around those bags handles to give me a handle I could carry it by. And I had to keep swapping which arm I was carrying it with, because a case of beer isn't exactly light weight. Still it was worth the aggro to bring it home. A couple cans are now in the mini fridge (along with the remainder of the vodka I bought for New Years Eve), while the rest are in storage. Since I hate warm lager, I figure if I only keep a couple cans chilled at a time then I can't guzzle the cans away, and will thus make the case last longer.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Denied Access
As a follow on to the previous post about my leaving online gor, I have also taken a good hard look at the list of contacts on my MSN and ICQ programs and done what I can only term a culling. Namely I've gone through the lists and deleted a lot of the contacts, people I barely talk too, people I only talk too in relation to Gor and people I've talked too once and never again. I've deleted them all, and furthermore I've blocked them from contacting me again. I'm uninstalling ICQ entirely, as the program has never worked right anyhow.
I haven't touched the contact names of any of the people I know in the Real World, the pair of ex-girlfriends I have listed, and a couple others besides, but that's it. Everyone else has been wiped off the list and blocked. I want a clean break, and I learned the last time I tried to walk away from online Gor that I can't do that if I'm forever talking to the same people I was roleplaying with. If I've offended anyone reading this, I hope you'll accept my apologies, but this is something I need to do.
I haven't touched the contact names of any of the people I know in the Real World, the pair of ex-girlfriends I have listed, and a couple others besides, but that's it. Everyone else has been wiped off the list and blocked. I want a clean break, and I learned the last time I tried to walk away from online Gor that I can't do that if I'm forever talking to the same people I was roleplaying with. If I've offended anyone reading this, I hope you'll accept my apologies, but this is something I need to do.
Walking Away
I quit online Gor tonight. I've not been happy roleplaying online in the various chatrooms for some time now. I honestly cannot put my finger on any one particular thing that has brought about this abandonment. I can't say "That is the straw that broke the camel's back". It's lots of little things, that individually niggle at me, and force me to make this adjustment, and that compromise. And finally there comes a point where you have to look around, and you realise that you aren't where you thought you were.
I love the world of Gor, I have 24 of the 26 novels in print, and would dearly love to complete the collection (I'm missing the books Kajira of Gor and Magicians of Gor). I'm not giving up on the world as written, just as it is portrayed online. I'm fed up of the hypocrisy, of people saying one thing and doing another and thinking nothing of it, or coming up with bullshit excuses to justify their actions. Everyone has a breaking point. I've been pushed slowly but surely past mine.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my time, and it is a lot of time I'm talking about, hours everyday are suddenly freed up. I guess I'll work out what to do with the free time as I go along.
I love the world of Gor, I have 24 of the 26 novels in print, and would dearly love to complete the collection (I'm missing the books Kajira of Gor and Magicians of Gor). I'm not giving up on the world as written, just as it is portrayed online. I'm fed up of the hypocrisy, of people saying one thing and doing another and thinking nothing of it, or coming up with bullshit excuses to justify their actions. Everyone has a breaking point. I've been pushed slowly but surely past mine.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my time, and it is a lot of time I'm talking about, hours everyday are suddenly freed up. I guess I'll work out what to do with the free time as I go along.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
New Year's Resolutions 2006
Well don't ask me what it was like to see in the New Year by myself, because I fell asleep at about 10pm and slept right though it. I did wake up a bit later to the sound of my clearly very drunk housemates having a sword fight (likely using Gareth's LARP weapons), but I pretended to still be asleep, and soon enough I wasn't faking.Woke up again at about 4:30am.
So it's a new year, and tradition dictates that people are meant to make a list of things they are and aren't going to do in this year, and at least try to follow that list. so here are my resolutions for 2006:
So it's a new year, and tradition dictates that people are meant to make a list of things they are and aren't going to do in this year, and at least try to follow that list. so here are my resolutions for 2006:
- I am going to try to lose weight. I have no plan as to how to do this, but currently I weigh about 18-19 stone, and that makes me about 6 stone overweight (or around 84lbs heavier than I should be for my height). I want to do this not only for the health benefit, but also I think a lot of my lack of self confidence can be traced to me not feeling good about how I look.
- I am going to reduce the number of things I own. I have literally hundreds of comics, toys & books that I neither read, play with or want any more. I can sell these and use the money to reduce the debt I owe on my credit card.
- I will try harder to stay in credit in my bank accounts, and not live in my overdrafts as I have been doing this past year.
- I will try and put a couple pounds aside each week, as an end of year fund. If I keep to this every week, then when it comes around to Xmas again, I should have a fund for around £100 to buy presents and see in the New Year with.
- I will spend less on D&D books, I have shelves of them already and I don't need any more of them. The one exception being Forgotten Realms books, as I buy those as much to read and enjoy as I do to use in the game.
- I will get rid of the last few videos I own.
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