Isn't life strange? In the last post I was lamenting lost friends and aquaintances and was wishing to get back in contact with a lot of people. Well yesterday I got an email in my inbox from Mike, who was Vice-President of the Students' Union when I was a fresher, and also ran the bar for a while the year after that. I wouldn't say we were best mates but we got on well and had a fair bit in common, and it's nice to catch up with him.
I'm not too sure how he found my site, I probably got googled, I must find out. But my blog has inspired him to start his own which you can find at http://stinkies.blogspot.com/. It's in its early day but who knows..
On the point of googling I typed in a few people's names but got back nothing...tsk...who would've thought that....
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Sunday, October 09, 2005
gonna try with a little help from my friends
I've just got back from my weekend jollies away visiting friends.
I left Ramsgate at around 2pm on Friday and got back at 9pm on Sunday so I had a pretty long break away, the whole weekend virtually.
My first port of call was Chichester. My friend Sam is the Bars and Entertainments Manager at the Students' Union, and I'd rung him a few weeks ago asking when would be a good time to visit Chichester (usually shortened to Chi), and he's suggested Friday as it was the Graduation Ball. I went, I saw, I had a few drinks, and I saw a few old friends.
On Saturday in the spirit of Lord Bargain and Ka I met up with a fellow blogger, this one was Phil, from Bournemouth (I do know Phil though). It was good to catch up with an old friend who I haven't seen for over a year and nice to chill out. We did Pizza Hut, Serenity at the cinema, visits to loads of DVD and games shops in Bournemouth and Poole, and had a good chat and a catch-up.
On Sunday I returned to Chi for a game of footy (this used to be a sunday tradition at Uni) saw a few more old friends and then came back home. All in all I did 420 miles in the old car. Not bad.
For those of you who read my blog regularly you'll remember that a while back I was pining a bit for Chichester and the life I'd left and I wrote this post. After this visit it's clarified things quite well. Chichester has changed a lot and it's not what I rememeber. The University where I spent my time studying and working for 5 years is changing into something completely different to the place where I had so much fun and from what my memory recollects. That was the past and I'm better off for it. I left just before the Student's Union moved into their new building (which I had a part in designing) and before a lot of changes to the way the University was developing. I think that if I'd stayed I would've ended up hating the place and that I would've had to leave or have a bit of a break down as it doesn't have the same identity as the place I loved. I guess I need these little visits to confirm this to myself.
One thing I do miss is the friends there. I keep in regular contact with a handful of them but there are more that I forgot about and have lost contact with. This was brought home to me when I learned that not one, but two of my old friends had given birth! So congrats to both Hannah and Erin! I am a bit sad that I didn't know about this but I've just emailed another friend, who I never contact but who I saw today, and asked him to send me lots of peoples emails and phone numbers who I've lost contact with.
On the drive home I had a glow about me and I felt that everything is going to be great.
Now off to bed for some well-earned sleep.
I left Ramsgate at around 2pm on Friday and got back at 9pm on Sunday so I had a pretty long break away, the whole weekend virtually.
My first port of call was Chichester. My friend Sam is the Bars and Entertainments Manager at the Students' Union, and I'd rung him a few weeks ago asking when would be a good time to visit Chichester (usually shortened to Chi), and he's suggested Friday as it was the Graduation Ball. I went, I saw, I had a few drinks, and I saw a few old friends.
On Saturday in the spirit of Lord Bargain and Ka I met up with a fellow blogger, this one was Phil, from Bournemouth (I do know Phil though). It was good to catch up with an old friend who I haven't seen for over a year and nice to chill out. We did Pizza Hut, Serenity at the cinema, visits to loads of DVD and games shops in Bournemouth and Poole, and had a good chat and a catch-up.
On Sunday I returned to Chi for a game of footy (this used to be a sunday tradition at Uni) saw a few more old friends and then came back home. All in all I did 420 miles in the old car. Not bad.
For those of you who read my blog regularly you'll remember that a while back I was pining a bit for Chichester and the life I'd left and I wrote this post. After this visit it's clarified things quite well. Chichester has changed a lot and it's not what I rememeber. The University where I spent my time studying and working for 5 years is changing into something completely different to the place where I had so much fun and from what my memory recollects. That was the past and I'm better off for it. I left just before the Student's Union moved into their new building (which I had a part in designing) and before a lot of changes to the way the University was developing. I think that if I'd stayed I would've ended up hating the place and that I would've had to leave or have a bit of a break down as it doesn't have the same identity as the place I loved. I guess I need these little visits to confirm this to myself.
One thing I do miss is the friends there. I keep in regular contact with a handful of them but there are more that I forgot about and have lost contact with. This was brought home to me when I learned that not one, but two of my old friends had given birth! So congrats to both Hannah and Erin! I am a bit sad that I didn't know about this but I've just emailed another friend, who I never contact but who I saw today, and asked him to send me lots of peoples emails and phone numbers who I've lost contact with.
On the drive home I had a glow about me and I felt that everything is going to be great.
Now off to bed for some well-earned sleep.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
I've been working all week and I'm, Just living for the weekend
SwissToni has been telling us all about how terrible certain days of the week are....but now we get to one of my favourites...Wednesday. It is the day that divides the working week and from now on all I'm doing is thinking about the weekend.
So what's so special about this weekend?
Well I'll be going on a road trip down to Chichester to my old Uni's Graduation Ball (featuring Nemone, The Cut-up Boys, and loads of cheese I'm sure). I've still got good friends down there, namely the Bars and Ents Manager, Sam, who is gonna put me on the guest list which means I save myself£25, and let me kip on his sofa. I'm gonna leave work around 2ish and so I'll get there before the afternoon has ended, and I'll get to catch-up with other peeps in the Chichester area.
On the saturday I'll be heading down to see Phil of Freespurge fame down in Bournemouth. I think we'll be watching Serenity and also having a few beers no doubt, but I'll see what else he's got planned for me as I haven't seen him for over a year, also he's going one better than Sam and gonna give me a fold-up bed...5-star all the way.
Then on Sunday I'll head back to sunny Ramsgate knowing that I've actually had a good weekend [although a bit tired from driving nearly 400 miles]
[Wednesday is often reffered to as "hump day" because of its position as the middle day of the work week. If the work week were a hill. Then Wednesday would be the crest. It is all down hill from there. (Whether the down hill ride is a coast or a descent into a swamp is left to the individual.)] - http://www.indepthinfo.com/weekdays/wednesday.shtml
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
You know that I've been drunk a thousand times,and these should be the best days of my life,
If you've been in your town centre on a friday or saturday night then you'll see large groups of 18-30s drinking alcohol. Fair enough, they're old enough and have worked hard during the week so they're entitled to relax. But what about the increase in binge drinking? Those levels of drinking are the cause of many other ills of society, such as violence, vandelism, sex attacks, but what about the other ill-effects? What about the harm to your relationships and what about the harm to yourself.... Physically and mentally?
This brings me to my little poser today. Obviously the blame for drinking too much lies first with the individual but it must also lie with the suppliers, the pubs and clubs, but what about the people like me who serve the drinks?
I am on the frontline and actually see the results of alcohol consumption. Last night I was at the pub and first one guy punched another guy whom he thought was insulting his girlfriend, and then their girlfriends got into a argument in the toilets. Luckily I went in there [pervert] and tried to get them to calm down upon which they broke into a fight which I had to separate. They hadn't drunk a huge amount but the friction of too many people drinking caused it.
I also see those quiet drinkers who are in there everyday drinking large amounts, and no doubt doing themselves harm.
In other areas of life I try to be ethical and moral....but what about this area? I've worked in bars for 5 years, have seen what alcohol does, but I still work there. Technically I am a drug dealer.
Is it morally right to work in the alcohol industry when I see what harm it causes?
I am on the frontline and actually see the results of alcohol consumption. Last night I was at the pub and first one guy punched another guy whom he thought was insulting his girlfriend, and then their girlfriends got into a argument in the toilets. Luckily I went in there [pervert] and tried to get them to calm down upon which they broke into a fight which I had to separate. They hadn't drunk a huge amount but the friction of too many people drinking caused it.
I also see those quiet drinkers who are in there everyday drinking large amounts, and no doubt doing themselves harm.
In other areas of life I try to be ethical and moral....but what about this area? I've worked in bars for 5 years, have seen what alcohol does, but I still work there. Technically I am a drug dealer.
Is it morally right to work in the alcohol industry when I see what harm it causes?
Monday, October 03, 2005
I've seen so much, I'm goin blind, And i'm braindead virtually
Surprise surprise....a new report by Dr Aric Sigman, who is an Associate Fellow of the Surprise surprise....a new report by , who is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, is out claiming that TV is bad for children and can stunt their brain development. The next few paragraphs have been lifted from Yahoo News:
"Television viewing is also now linked with stunting brain development in the child's frontal lobes leading to reduced impulse control and increased antisocial behaviour."
"Teachers are under pressure to vie for the child's attentional resources which have been damaged by exposure to fast changing screen images. This leaves teachers facing a generation of children who find it more difficult to pay attention and thereby learn but also exhibit poor self-restraint and anti-social behaviour," Dr Sigman added.
Even moderate amounts of viewing can dramatically increase their risk of myopia, slow down their metabolic rate and may trigger premature puberty, according to Dr Sigman. It was also found to lead to a "significantly elevated risk" of sleep problems in adulthood, causing hormone changes, which in turn directly increase appetite and body fat production and damage the immune system leading to a greater vulnerability to cancer.
I can believe parts of this report but there are other parts that are sheer scaremongering and making assumptions to appear to tie in with conclusions they already made.
I think it boils down to being lazy. If you sit around watching too much telly, and not exercising of course you're going to experience slowed metabolism, sleep problems, and increased appetite. I get that if I spend even one day loafing around, so imagine what it's like for a growing child. I suppose this report would be an easy solution to the problems facing our children, and we could ban television and save the children but not all television is bad.
The main problem is the sheer dirge of programmes on offer to children and adults alike. If what children watched was regulated by parents and guardians, then TV would have a great place in society, instead of somewhere filled with gardening and makeover shows, puppets talking gibberish, and mindless soaps.
The brain is a muscle and needs to be exercised, if you don't exercise it, then it will cease to function to 100%, or somewhere nearing that amount. I've had times when I've not stretched my mind, gone with the flow for weeks on end and not been able to cogitate or articulate to a level I know I'm capable. But I've corrected this by trying to read more or see more by either reading more books, catching up with the internet, talking to people outside of my usual spere, and also watching selected TV programmes.
There is a load of crap out there but there is also a lot of good on the old gogglebox. TV's primary use is as a form of escapism and it's secondary use is for education, therefore there will always be a load of shite to get through before you get to the good stuff. TV programmes are made as a source of revenue, simply there to make you watch the adverts in between. It's sad but true, and therefore TV for the masses rules.If there's nothing good on Telly then don't watch it. Turn it off, and better yourself. You're bigger than a machine.
I've got to go now......Neighbours is about to start!
I've got to go now......Neighbours is about to start!
Whoa, whoa, back-up
Yeaterday morning I got up at 8am thinking I would be the only one up as it was a Sunday morning, but there in the front room was my sister (visiting for the weekend) on the laptop doing teaching plans for the whole week. I made myself a bacon sarnie, and started running a nice muscle relaxing bath as I had a football match at 10.30am in Margate and was getting a lift with Dan at 9:30am.
Everything was going to plan when my sister 'lost' all the work she had been doing. Apparently she was copying her files to another folder when they 'dissapeared'. I thought she was being stupid and ran a search for them thinking she'd maybe just dropped them into the wrong folder. I was wrong they had gone. I started a recovery programme to find the lost files in the clusters of her hard-drive and some came back but very corrupted. I was doing my best but by now it was 9:30 and I had to go to footy. I didn't have my bath, which was waiting there for me nice warm, taunting me, and so I chucked on some jeans and a t-shirt and when to Footy (incidently I strayed on the bench all match).
When I got back my sisters boyfriend had managed to get some more useable documents off the hard drive and it was a semi catastrophe averted....or so I thought.
Everything was going to plan when my sister 'lost' all the work she had been doing. Apparently she was copying her files to another folder when they 'dissapeared'. I thought she was being stupid and ran a search for them thinking she'd maybe just dropped them into the wrong folder. I was wrong they had gone. I started a recovery programme to find the lost files in the clusters of her hard-drive and some came back but very corrupted. I was doing my best but by now it was 9:30 and I had to go to footy. I didn't have my bath, which was waiting there for me nice warm, taunting me, and so I chucked on some jeans and a t-shirt and when to Footy (incidently I strayed on the bench all match).
When I got back my sisters boyfriend had managed to get some more useable documents off the hard drive and it was a semi catastrophe averted....or so I thought.
I went onto the net on my PC to check my emails and one was a request from my friend Jo for some files from her website which I maintain. I went into my website directory which is in \my documents\sites to grab the files and SHIT....the folder was completely removed! Then it hit me. During the early morning I had downoaded several recovery programmes from my computer onto her laptop using her USB stick and obviously whatever virus/trojan had done that to her laptop had now done it to mine.
I was very pissed off but luckily because it's my web directory, nearly everything is on the web, and it's a matter of just downloading the sites from my remote directory. I've lost a few old files, or works in progress, but every so often you need something like this to realise that the web isn't infallable. I've left the PC downloading my folders (around 450MB worth) and when I get home I'm gonna back-up the ass offa my computer. I did read the Tao of Backup which puts backing up into perspective.
I guess the lesson of all this is make sure you've got everything backed-up that you can't replace. I've got Norton Internet Security 2005 on my PC and it has protected me constantly and not let a thing in so I'm annoyed this 'thing' has sneaked in. I ran a full system virus check but it came back with nothing so I hope it was just a file on the USB stick. If this has happened to anyone else and they've got some tips then let me know.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Smells Like Teen Spirit
At the moment I smell like a cheap man-whore.
I've been out shopping (pure hell) to buy a few bits and bobs for my sisters birthday (she'll be 27) and I really hate having to buy things when I don't know what I'm looking for. If I was better prepared I would've scanned the internet and got her stuff from there but I only remembered yesterday about her birthday.
Back to the man-whore bit. Whilst I was looking for presents I thought I'd try on a few men's fragrances.....8 different types later and I still ended up with what I got last time.
I used to get a bottle of CK Eternity for my birthday and that'd do me, but it's very expensive and don't get it anymore. Last time I got Versace - Blue Jean, which was nice and at £10 a bottle from Matalan, a pretty good deal for something with a 'name' attached to it. I did think about treating myself but at the end of the day I just stank of too many fragrances and gave it a miss, and went with the Versace again.
I wanted to know if any of you out there in bloggerland could recommend an aftershave that you personally use? Put it in the comments please. Cheers
I've been out shopping (pure hell) to buy a few bits and bobs for my sisters birthday (she'll be 27) and I really hate having to buy things when I don't know what I'm looking for. If I was better prepared I would've scanned the internet and got her stuff from there but I only remembered yesterday about her birthday.
Back to the man-whore bit. Whilst I was looking for presents I thought I'd try on a few men's fragrances.....8 different types later and I still ended up with what I got last time.
I used to get a bottle of CK Eternity for my birthday and that'd do me, but it's very expensive and don't get it anymore. Last time I got Versace - Blue Jean, which was nice and at £10 a bottle from Matalan, a pretty good deal for something with a 'name' attached to it. I did think about treating myself but at the end of the day I just stank of too many fragrances and gave it a miss, and went with the Versace again.
I wanted to know if any of you out there in bloggerland could recommend an aftershave that you personally use? Put it in the comments please. Cheers
How much is that doggy in the window?
I was in Tesco on wednesday and they've already got some Christmas stuff in store, such as cards and wrapping, and a few other gift ideas.
Every so often I come up with stupid ideas that could make me a millionaire, and I'm going to let you all into one I had a while back and was triggered by this foray into the festive season.
What do you think when you hear 'A dog's for life, not just for Christmas'?
My new slogan would be 'A dog's just for Christmas, not for life'.
The pitch for my idea would revolve around the fact that many people get dog's for Xmas but can't be bothered with them once the the shine has worn off, so why not just hire them out for Christmas and then take them back? There are so many dogs in Kennels and Rescue homes that there would be plenty to go around. Obviously a fee would be charged, and there would be the optional extras of hiring out baskets, collars, food bowls, toys, etc. and I think it would make a mint.
I'd give a percentage of the money to the kennels, who would also be saving money as they'd have less dogs to look after, It would be helping the dogs and making them happy, and it'd also be bringing happiness to families at Christmas time.
It's a foolproof plan and I can see no chance of it being a failure!
If all goes well then I could branch out to cats, then guinea pigs, etc.....endless.
Every so often I come up with stupid ideas that could make me a millionaire, and I'm going to let you all into one I had a while back and was triggered by this foray into the festive season.
What do you think when you hear 'A dog's for life, not just for Christmas'?
My new slogan would be 'A dog's just for Christmas, not for life'.
The pitch for my idea would revolve around the fact that many people get dog's for Xmas but can't be bothered with them once the the shine has worn off, so why not just hire them out for Christmas and then take them back? There are so many dogs in Kennels and Rescue homes that there would be plenty to go around. Obviously a fee would be charged, and there would be the optional extras of hiring out baskets, collars, food bowls, toys, etc. and I think it would make a mint.
I'd give a percentage of the money to the kennels, who would also be saving money as they'd have less dogs to look after, It would be helping the dogs and making them happy, and it'd also be bringing happiness to families at Christmas time.
It's a foolproof plan and I can see no chance of it being a failure!
If all goes well then I could branch out to cats, then guinea pigs, etc.....endless.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
They spun a web for me
There was a fairly large spider in my bathtub last night and I could've picked it up and put it somewhere else but I thought I'd let him keep his dignity and do it himself. Thinking back to something I'd read on someone elses blog (I can't remember who's) I fashioned my first 'spider ladder' which was basically a length of loo roll hung over the side of the bath. Using this the spider is able to crawl out... in theory.
Guess what?..... theory works! The spider was gone this morning and is probably coming up with plans to lay egg in my ears, or something as devious, honestly it was quite a big spider and was giving me evils.
Guess what?..... theory works! The spider was gone this morning and is probably coming up with plans to lay egg in my ears, or something as devious, honestly it was quite a big spider and was giving me evils.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Everybody knows, Badger loves...MASH POTATOES!
Hey I'm back!...for the moment.
I've had a hectic last week and was going to blog yesterday but ended up going on an all day piss-up to unwind from everything.
So, do you want to know what I've been up to?
Well as I mentioned before I work at a University and the new students, Freshers, arrived a week ago. It has been my job to organise and run the evening activities, as well as doing my normal daytime stuff. A few posts ago I seemed a little disheartened with the job but at the moment things are going great, all the new students are very nice, and I'm actually enjoying my job!
On friday I hired a coach to take us to the main campus for their Funky Friday shindig and I didn't have much to do apart from make sure everyone got where they were supposed to go and that they all got back safely. So I decided that I might as well have a few drinks as I wasn't really working. Quite a few Carlings (only £1.50!) later and I was a bit trolleyed but was having an f-ing brilliant time, but there was one thing that absolutely made my night.....
I got to see 'Bodger and Badger'!
For those of you who don't know, they're the stars of their very own show on CBBC, and have quite a cult status amongst students. They turned up and gave a brilliant live show (no apologies for calling them 'they' even though one's a puppet), and of course, for those of you familiar with them, they got messing with loads of mashed potato. I also got their autographs!
I'm now gonna check out what everyone's been up to.......
I've had a hectic last week and was going to blog yesterday but ended up going on an all day piss-up to unwind from everything.
So, do you want to know what I've been up to?
Well as I mentioned before I work at a University and the new students, Freshers, arrived a week ago. It has been my job to organise and run the evening activities, as well as doing my normal daytime stuff. A few posts ago I seemed a little disheartened with the job but at the moment things are going great, all the new students are very nice, and I'm actually enjoying my job!
On friday I hired a coach to take us to the main campus for their Funky Friday shindig and I didn't have much to do apart from make sure everyone got where they were supposed to go and that they all got back safely. So I decided that I might as well have a few drinks as I wasn't really working. Quite a few Carlings (only £1.50!) later and I was a bit trolleyed but was having an f-ing brilliant time, but there was one thing that absolutely made my night.....
I got to see 'Bodger and Badger'!
For those of you who don't know, they're the stars of their very own show on CBBC, and have quite a cult status amongst students. They turned up and gave a brilliant live show (no apologies for calling them 'they' even though one's a puppet), and of course, for those of you familiar with them, they got messing with loads of mashed potato. I also got their autographs!
Everybody knows, Badger loves...MASH POTATOES!
He makes them into shapes and eats them every-day!
Bodger and Badger, Bodger and Badger.
La, La, La, La-lah,
La, La, La, La-lah
Bodger and Badger are never far away.
I'm now gonna check out what everyone's been up to.......
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Express yourself, Create the space, You know you can win, Don’t give up the chase
I went into work today at 3pm and just got back in a 11pm... and it's only a sunday!
I had footy at 10:30am and I was in quite a good mood though as we won our first game of the season. The mighty Preston Hellings had lost their first two games in the Thanet Sunday Football League, the first game 5-1, and the second 2-1, but today was our day and we thrashed York Arms 5-1, which helped our goal difference and moved us from 12th to 7th place.
It was made even sweeter as they were a very aggy team, and I admit we baited them a little bit and they took to it hook, line, and sinker, with them giving away fouls all over the place. We could've got more goals but at the end of the day, it was a game of two halves, and the best team won (how's that for cliches?)
I did receive a rather harsh foul upon myself as their no.7 (their right-winger and I was playing at left-back) decided to launch a flying tackle at my knee and try and snap it. Luckily my leg gave way otherwise it could've been a lot worse, but I only ended up with a bit of bruising and some stiffness.
Hopefully this is the turning of a new leaf for the season and we can carry it on. (still no goals for me though...I got 4 goals last season, but that was from left-wing and up front, maybe next week.)
I had footy at 10:30am and I was in quite a good mood though as we won our first game of the season. The mighty Preston Hellings had lost their first two games in the Thanet Sunday Football League, the first game 5-1, and the second 2-1, but today was our day and we thrashed York Arms 5-1, which helped our goal difference and moved us from 12th to 7th place.
It was made even sweeter as they were a very aggy team, and I admit we baited them a little bit and they took to it hook, line, and sinker, with them giving away fouls all over the place. We could've got more goals but at the end of the day, it was a game of two halves, and the best team won (how's that for cliches?)
I did receive a rather harsh foul upon myself as their no.7 (their right-winger and I was playing at left-back) decided to launch a flying tackle at my knee and try and snap it. Luckily my leg gave way otherwise it could've been a lot worse, but I only ended up with a bit of bruising and some stiffness.
Hopefully this is the turning of a new leaf for the season and we can carry it on. (still no goals for me though...I got 4 goals last season, but that was from left-wing and up front, maybe next week.)
Saturday, September 17, 2005
I am the eggman, we are the eggmen, I am the walrus
One of the stupidest things I've ever done (a continuing theme)
Date: 9/1/05
location: Dlouha Hostel, Prague, Czech Republic
After a very drunken Saturday Night, now Sunday morning, of visiting bars and strip clubs I returned back to the hostel with Ian and Tom B, whilst Jonny, Matt, and Danny went to investigate the lower echelons of Czech society. It was our last night at the hostel, I was drunk, I had bought some eggs and bread during the day, and I had the munchies.
The hostel was quite basic although there were shared facilities such as showers and a 'kitchen'. I've put apostrophes around 'kitchen' because the only cooking facility in there was a microwave, although strangely there were several pots and pans (obviously left by previous backpackers). What do you think I was going to use to do the eggs?
My first attempt was akin to poached eggs. I'd beaten the eggs added whatever spices were in the kitchen, and cooked it in a bowl for about a minute. It was okay but not quite what I was looking for. Then it hit me....a hard boiled egg (not literally coz that would've hurt!)
Through a bit of egging on (pun intended) and my lowered inhibitions caused by the alcohol, I decided to nuke an egg in the microwave. I put it in and turned the timer to 1 minute. Shock..after 30 seconds nothing was happening and I put my head right up against the door of the microwave to check for any changes. There was a hissing noise but that was it, and so Ian left the kitchen, and left me and Tom still watching.
BOOM! In what was one of the pant-filling experiences of my life the egg had exploded and I thought I'd been very bad. The microwave door had actually expanded outwards and I'd got hit on the head by it (maybe it wasn't too wise to be that close), and now with the door open smoke was billowing out and the whole inside was covered with egg and shell. I felt very naughty and quite scared, as were Tom, who had been sitting down, and Ian who had only just re-entered the kitchen to be greeted by the explosion.
Surprisingly no-one came out of the other rooms and I was left to have a nervous laugh, check the microwave still worked (it did!), and clean up all the fucking egg. We decided to retire to our dorm before anything else happened and that was that. We got up the next day went to the kitchen whilst everyone else was eating food bought from elsewhere, and had a bit of a secret laugh. The microwave was still a bit dirty but I'd gotten away with it.
We left Prague that day but I will always have that memory to put in my file of 'Things that could've killed me but didn't'. I've got plenty more of these types of experiences (I can be a stupid twat when drunk) and I'll share some more with you when I can.
------------------------------------------
I'm going to be very busy with work over the next 2 weeks as the Freshers are arriving on Sunday and muggins here will be working days and nights, so don't expect too much blogging from me, but I'll try.
Laters
Date: 9/1/05
location: Dlouha Hostel, Prague, Czech Republic
After a very drunken Saturday Night, now Sunday morning, of visiting bars and strip clubs I returned back to the hostel with Ian and Tom B, whilst Jonny, Matt, and Danny went to investigate the lower echelons of Czech society. It was our last night at the hostel, I was drunk, I had bought some eggs and bread during the day, and I had the munchies.
The hostel was quite basic although there were shared facilities such as showers and a 'kitchen'. I've put apostrophes around 'kitchen' because the only cooking facility in there was a microwave, although strangely there were several pots and pans (obviously left by previous backpackers). What do you think I was going to use to do the eggs?
My first attempt was akin to poached eggs. I'd beaten the eggs added whatever spices were in the kitchen, and cooked it in a bowl for about a minute. It was okay but not quite what I was looking for. Then it hit me....a hard boiled egg (not literally coz that would've hurt!)
Through a bit of egging on (pun intended) and my lowered inhibitions caused by the alcohol, I decided to nuke an egg in the microwave. I put it in and turned the timer to 1 minute. Shock..after 30 seconds nothing was happening and I put my head right up against the door of the microwave to check for any changes. There was a hissing noise but that was it, and so Ian left the kitchen, and left me and Tom still watching.
BOOM! In what was one of the pant-filling experiences of my life the egg had exploded and I thought I'd been very bad. The microwave door had actually expanded outwards and I'd got hit on the head by it (maybe it wasn't too wise to be that close), and now with the door open smoke was billowing out and the whole inside was covered with egg and shell. I felt very naughty and quite scared, as were Tom, who had been sitting down, and Ian who had only just re-entered the kitchen to be greeted by the explosion.
Surprisingly no-one came out of the other rooms and I was left to have a nervous laugh, check the microwave still worked (it did!), and clean up all the fucking egg. We decided to retire to our dorm before anything else happened and that was that. We got up the next day went to the kitchen whilst everyone else was eating food bought from elsewhere, and had a bit of a secret laugh. The microwave was still a bit dirty but I'd gotten away with it.
We left Prague that day but I will always have that memory to put in my file of 'Things that could've killed me but didn't'. I've got plenty more of these types of experiences (I can be a stupid twat when drunk) and I'll share some more with you when I can.
------------------------------------------
I'm going to be very busy with work over the next 2 weeks as the Freshers are arriving on Sunday and muggins here will be working days and nights, so don't expect too much blogging from me, but I'll try.
Laters
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I'm a joker, I'm a smoker.....
I've just got home from the pub quiz, which my team won!!!!!
It was made even better because we saved our 'Joker' till the last round...brilliant.
The prize was a bit crap though, 25% of a meal at the pub, but I shouldn't complain as I also won a prize in the raffle.......an out-of-date e#bottle of ale and a freeebie Grolsch T-Shirt!
Still it was all in the name of charity and around £160 was raised.
Off to bed now. zzzzzzzz
It was made even better because we saved our 'Joker' till the last round...brilliant.
The prize was a bit crap though, 25% of a meal at the pub, but I shouldn't complain as I also won a prize in the raffle.......an out-of-date e#bottle of ale and a freeebie Grolsch T-Shirt!
Still it was all in the name of charity and around £160 was raised.
Off to bed now. zzzzzzzz
Wherever I lay my hat that's my home
Here's a bit of history for you....
1980 - Born in London (December)
1980/1984 - Lived in Sidcup till the age of 3.
1984/1986 - Moved to Doha, Qatar, till the age of 5.
1986 - Returned to England to live in Ramsgate, Kent.
1999 - Moved to Chichester age 18 to study at University.
1999/2002 - Completed my degree.
2002/2003 - Elected as Vice-President for the Students' Union (1 year term).
2003/2004 - Worked as Bars and Entertainments Assistant Manager at the University.
2004 - Moved back to Ramsgate.
Ramsgate has always been my home town and will always be the place that I grew up in but Chichester also has a place in my heart. The thing is that I loved my time in Chichester and spent 5 years there, but by the end of that time I was missing Ramsgate. I could've stayed but I had felt a rot settling in and had to leave to save myself. There was another reason for me to move back to Ramsgate and that was because my Mother and Grandmother also live there.
They both lived in the same house and this is where I moved back to. My Grandma was very ill and I think it helped that I was home to help my Mum whose responsibility it was to look after this bed-ridden old women, who had in her earlier years been the live and soul of the party, but in her latter years had been ravaged by Parkinson's Disease, stokes, and also arthritis . Sadly she died in December 2004, but I thank God that I was there to be able to be at her side at the hospital, to tell her I loved her, and to reassure her everything was alright. If I had still been living in Chichester I may not have been there for her and I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. It was also good to be able to support my Mother at a time like that.
I am still living with my Mum, and we get by quite well, but it is times like now that I start to miss Chichester. I have got a lot of friends here but I only really see them at weekends so I think it is loneliness that is giving me these feelings for Chichester, where my life revolved around a place heaving with youngsters who are all experiencing something new, which in turn added something to my life. I am fed up with Ramsgate as it never changes, or maybe it is me that never changes. I am in a job where I spend most of the time by myself in a small office, and I think I need something new to put the spark back into me.
I'm looking into new avenues for job prospects and ultimately I keep coming back to the same areas. The only problem is that I can't commit myself to jumping into something, and it will ultimately have to be something which will start off working around my present jobs, the ones that pay the bills. Do I risk it all and follow my dreams, or do I stick with the status quo and keep doing what I'm doing?
The area I'm interested in is promotion and design. When I get the chance to work with Dreamweaver or Photoshop I become more animated and can spend hours working on something, perfecting it, and making someone else happy. I have mainly done small websites for bands, or people I know, and really enjoy designing something which has been transplanted from their ideas into something physical. I've just got an email from an old friend who needs a website for his band, and so I'm going to work on that later.
Another reason why these homesick feeling for Chichester have come up is that most of the people's sites I run are from Chichester, as it is where I learnt about t'web. I could honestly see myself living back in Chichester but what about the sacrifices I'd have to make to leave here?...my friends and my family.
At the end of the day nothing will probably come of this post and it will be resigned to history, but I will be visiting Chichester again on October 7th and we'll see what happens then. In the meantime I think this post has helped me a bit and I'll try and get my head into the correct mindset and try and be the person I was a few years ago, still me, but having more fun, and more self-assured.
Thanks forlistening reading
1980 - Born in London (December)
1980/1984 - Lived in Sidcup till the age of 3.
1984/1986 - Moved to Doha, Qatar, till the age of 5.
1986 - Returned to England to live in Ramsgate, Kent.
1999 - Moved to Chichester age 18 to study at University.
1999/2002 - Completed my degree.
2002/2003 - Elected as Vice-President for the Students' Union (1 year term).
2003/2004 - Worked as Bars and Entertainments Assistant Manager at the University.
2004 - Moved back to Ramsgate.
Ramsgate has always been my home town and will always be the place that I grew up in but Chichester also has a place in my heart. The thing is that I loved my time in Chichester and spent 5 years there, but by the end of that time I was missing Ramsgate. I could've stayed but I had felt a rot settling in and had to leave to save myself. There was another reason for me to move back to Ramsgate and that was because my Mother and Grandmother also live there.
They both lived in the same house and this is where I moved back to. My Grandma was very ill and I think it helped that I was home to help my Mum whose responsibility it was to look after this bed-ridden old women, who had in her earlier years been the live and soul of the party, but in her latter years had been ravaged by Parkinson's Disease, stokes, and also arthritis . Sadly she died in December 2004, but I thank God that I was there to be able to be at her side at the hospital, to tell her I loved her, and to reassure her everything was alright. If I had still been living in Chichester I may not have been there for her and I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. It was also good to be able to support my Mother at a time like that.
I am still living with my Mum, and we get by quite well, but it is times like now that I start to miss Chichester. I have got a lot of friends here but I only really see them at weekends so I think it is loneliness that is giving me these feelings for Chichester, where my life revolved around a place heaving with youngsters who are all experiencing something new, which in turn added something to my life. I am fed up with Ramsgate as it never changes, or maybe it is me that never changes. I am in a job where I spend most of the time by myself in a small office, and I think I need something new to put the spark back into me.
I'm looking into new avenues for job prospects and ultimately I keep coming back to the same areas. The only problem is that I can't commit myself to jumping into something, and it will ultimately have to be something which will start off working around my present jobs, the ones that pay the bills. Do I risk it all and follow my dreams, or do I stick with the status quo and keep doing what I'm doing?
The area I'm interested in is promotion and design. When I get the chance to work with Dreamweaver or Photoshop I become more animated and can spend hours working on something, perfecting it, and making someone else happy. I have mainly done small websites for bands, or people I know, and really enjoy designing something which has been transplanted from their ideas into something physical. I've just got an email from an old friend who needs a website for his band, and so I'm going to work on that later.
Another reason why these homesick feeling for Chichester have come up is that most of the people's sites I run are from Chichester, as it is where I learnt about t'web. I could honestly see myself living back in Chichester but what about the sacrifices I'd have to make to leave here?...my friends and my family.
At the end of the day nothing will probably come of this post and it will be resigned to history, but I will be visiting Chichester again on October 7th and we'll see what happens then. In the meantime I think this post has helped me a bit and I'll try and get my head into the correct mindset and try and be the person I was a few years ago, still me, but having more fun, and more self-assured.
Thanks for
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
The answer is blowin' in the wind
I finally gave in and got some questions from Phil. I asked him some last week and he's left a few comments on my blog along the lines of "...if you want any questions then just ask", and so I knew that he REALLY wanted to get some pearls of wisdom out of me, or make me squirm. The questions have really put me on the spot.
Bloggerland is full of people I have never met, but after frequenting their blogs on a daily basis I feel like I know them fairly well (well, what they decide to write about themselves). In the case of Phil, of Freespurge fame, I DO know him. We met at University (I was working for the Students' Union running one of their bars, and he was on the Exec Committee), and actually started our blogs at the same time, along with another friend Dave.
I [boasting] have kept my blog going along since that time (around 1 1/2 years) but both Phil and Dave disappeared, Phil in Jan '05, and Dave in Oct '04. I'd given up on both of them returning, but Phil made a comeback this Summer. So without further delay here are the questions and my answers.
Question 1.
Death sentence. Good, bad, or necissary? Discuss.
Catgorically my answer is 'no to the death sentance'. It is a very bad thing. I don't know the figures but I'm sure that there's been quite a few people on 'Death Row' who have been aquitted, who were proved innocent by new technology which wasn't available at the time of their detainment.
But some people are guilty, and some of very very bad things. Sometimes revenge will pop into my head and I'll think it was better if they died, a horrible death too, but what would that make me?
I'm sure executions help the families of murder victims, so they can gain 'closure', but in the long run will it ease their pain?
I do think there's something wrong with the prison system though and that some prisoners get off too lightly [watch out I'm getting all Daily Mail here!] and never have to deal with the crimes they committed, never have to meet the relatives of their victims. Could they still contribute to our society even if they are deemed monstors? What is the alternative way of paying their debt?
I don't know the answer to that but in the meantime I have to say no to the Death penalty.
Question 2.
What's the one thing that you wished you had said to someone but never did?
I think the person would've been my Grandfather on my Mum's side, who died when I was around 11. And I would've just liked to have said that I loved him. As a kid you take loads of things for granted and don't look to the future, just taking each day as it comes, and I wish I'd got to spend more time with him and been able to grow up with him as he was a great person. He was the first person i knew who died.
Question 3.
You're in a room with all the world leaders of Earth. You've been asked to speak on behalf of the masses. What you say next will change the face of Human society, what is it?
I would probably say:
Good enough for you?
Question 4.
Name a book that changed your life for good or for ill.
This is a tricky one. I suppose it could be something as mundane as a story book at school, thus enabling me to actually read and write, but I think I'll go for 'Stupid White Men' by Michael Moore, a critique of the 2000 USA elections where he believes Bush was fraudulantly elected as President. I know some of it biased and to get the whole story you will need to read a few more books from different sources, but it opened me up to the fact that USA is not A-OK (sorry Trong Van Din), and the problem's associated with politics.
Question 5.
Of all the women you know, who's the one you want to sleep with most?
Fuck me, what a way to put me on the spot. I love women, that's a fact, but the strange thing is that there hasn't been anyone I'd want to sleep with for quite a while. I've been off the scene for a bit, but I do go out and see women whom I'd like carnal relations with, but it is just lust, pure animal hormones, seeking some sexual gratification. I could probably give you 50 names of those types of women. But I can honestly say that there's no one that I'm "keeping my eye on", no one I really want to get involved with, and so to cop out of your question, there's no one I want to sleep with....at the moment.
But......I'm sure someone will come along, who'll turn my head, someone I least expect ,whom I'll want to get to know better, discover who they are, grow to love each other and then......
Bloggerland is full of people I have never met, but after frequenting their blogs on a daily basis I feel like I know them fairly well (well, what they decide to write about themselves). In the case of Phil, of Freespurge fame, I DO know him. We met at University (I was working for the Students' Union running one of their bars, and he was on the Exec Committee), and actually started our blogs at the same time, along with another friend Dave.
I [boasting] have kept my blog going along since that time (around 1 1/2 years) but both Phil and Dave disappeared, Phil in Jan '05, and Dave in Oct '04. I'd given up on both of them returning, but Phil made a comeback this Summer. So without further delay here are the questions and my answers.
Question 1.
Death sentence. Good, bad, or necissary? Discuss.
Catgorically my answer is 'no to the death sentance'. It is a very bad thing. I don't know the figures but I'm sure that there's been quite a few people on 'Death Row' who have been aquitted, who were proved innocent by new technology which wasn't available at the time of their detainment.
But some people are guilty, and some of very very bad things. Sometimes revenge will pop into my head and I'll think it was better if they died, a horrible death too, but what would that make me?
I'm sure executions help the families of murder victims, so they can gain 'closure', but in the long run will it ease their pain?
I do think there's something wrong with the prison system though and that some prisoners get off too lightly [watch out I'm getting all Daily Mail here!] and never have to deal with the crimes they committed, never have to meet the relatives of their victims. Could they still contribute to our society even if they are deemed monstors? What is the alternative way of paying their debt?
I don't know the answer to that but in the meantime I have to say no to the Death penalty.
Question 2.
What's the one thing that you wished you had said to someone but never did?
I think the person would've been my Grandfather on my Mum's side, who died when I was around 11. And I would've just liked to have said that I loved him. As a kid you take loads of things for granted and don't look to the future, just taking each day as it comes, and I wish I'd got to spend more time with him and been able to grow up with him as he was a great person. He was the first person i knew who died.
Question 3.
You're in a room with all the world leaders of Earth. You've been asked to speak on behalf of the masses. What you say next will change the face of Human society, what is it?
I would probably say:
"One Love! One Heart!
Let's get together and feel all right.
Hear the children cryin' (One Love!);
Hear the children cryin' (One Heart!),
Sayin': give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel allright;
Sayin': let's get together and feel all right. Wo wo-wo wo-wo!
Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One Love!);
There is one question I'd really love to ask (One Heart!):
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner,
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs?
One Love! What about the one heart? One Heart!
What about - ? Let's get together and feel all right
As it was in the beginning (One Love!);
So shall it be in the end (One Heart!),
All right!
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let's get together and feel all right.
One more thing!
Let's get together to fight this Holy Armagiddyon (One Love!),
So when the Man comes there will be no, no doom (One Song!).
Have pity on those whose chances grows t'inner;
There ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation.
Sayin': One Love! What about the One Heart? (One Heart!)
What about the - ? Let's get together and feel all right.
I'm pleadin' to mankind! (One Love!);
Oh, Lord! (One Heart) Wo-ooh!
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let's get together and feel all right.
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let's get together and feel all right"
Question 4.
Name a book that changed your life for good or for ill.
This is a tricky one. I suppose it could be something as mundane as a story book at school, thus enabling me to actually read and write, but I think I'll go for 'Stupid White Men' by Michael Moore, a critique of the 2000 USA elections where he believes Bush was fraudulantly elected as President. I know some of it biased and to get the whole story you will need to read a few more books from different sources, but it opened me up to the fact that USA is not A-OK (sorry Trong Van Din), and the problem's associated with politics.
Question 5.
Of all the women you know, who's the one you want to sleep with most?
Fuck me, what a way to put me on the spot. I love women, that's a fact, but the strange thing is that there hasn't been anyone I'd want to sleep with for quite a while. I've been off the scene for a bit, but I do go out and see women whom I'd like carnal relations with, but it is just lust, pure animal hormones, seeking some sexual gratification. I could probably give you 50 names of those types of women. But I can honestly say that there's no one that I'm "keeping my eye on", no one I really want to get involved with, and so to cop out of your question, there's no one I want to sleep with....at the moment.
But......I'm sure someone will come along, who'll turn my head, someone I least expect ,whom I'll want to get to know better, discover who they are, grow to love each other and then......
FUCK LIKE RABBITS!
Monday, September 12, 2005
I don't like cricket, oh no, I love it
I've been watching the tests over the series and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. I must admit that I only watch International matches and don't watch any county cricket.
There were more highs than lows and many of the matches have been edge of the seat stuff, but I think that the end result was correct as England have shown that little bit extra.
Brilliant!
[I know this is a bit of a weak post but I'm not really in the blogging mode. I have been checking out and commenting on other blogs though so don't worry.]
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Question time
Questions for Tom
1. Using advanced technology and satellite tracking you can order a 'hit' on anyone in the world. Who would it be? (no one will know you did it)
2."Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me". Have you ever been bullied or been a bully?
3.Which is your favourite Spice Girl and why? (Posh, Ginger, Scarey, Baby, & Sporty)
4.What Superpower would you like and would you become a SuperHero?
5.Pick 3 songs to be played at your funeral
Questions for Phil
1. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
2. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads?
3.How will the Third World War Start and End?
4. What's your view on 'designer babies'. Would you play god and create a 'perfect child'?
5.If you could have written one song and lived off it's profits which song would it have been?
Remember to update your blog with the answers to the questions, offer to interview others in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Laters
1. Using advanced technology and satellite tracking you can order a 'hit' on anyone in the world. Who would it be? (no one will know you did it)
2."Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me". Have you ever been bullied or been a bully?
3.Which is your favourite Spice Girl and why? (Posh, Ginger, Scarey, Baby, & Sporty)
4.What Superpower would you like and would you become a SuperHero?
5.Pick 3 songs to be played at your funeral
Questions for Phil
1. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
2. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads?
3.How will the Third World War Start and End?
4. What's your view on 'designer babies'. Would you play god and create a 'perfect child'?
5.If you could have written one song and lived off it's profits which song would it have been?
Remember to update your blog with the answers to the questions, offer to interview others in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Laters
Friday, September 09, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Ask Me No Questions, I'll Tell You No Lies
There's been a lot of questions around bloggerland lately, and I admit I was feeling a little left out. But luckily Lord Bargain has leapt to my aid and has given me 5 questions to answer. So here we go.
1. Describe your journey to work.
I have 2 jobs so I'll describe my journey to them
My first job is 2 miles away. I usually drive. Quite lazy, I have cycled a few times before but I've slipped back into getting there quickly. It takes 5 minutes, time for a couple of tracks on the CD player, and then I'm at work. Not a very interesting story.
For my other job I only live 30 seconds away so I usually leave 3 minutes before I'm meant to start. I walk (obviously) and I'm there pretty soonish.
2. You’ll starve unless you eat a dead human being. Which bit of them do you eat first?
Leg or Breast mmmmm....Oh that's a Christmas question, not to be confused with becoming a cannibal. The obvious thing I'd ask is 'what is the situation?', and I would probably want to know that before I made this decision but I won't delve into that too much and will instead assume that I've got to pick a body part.
I love meat and I can never refuse a bit of rump steak so my choice would have to be the rump, the buttocks, call it what you will, but I think that would be the best bit. I've seen the film 'Alive' many times and that's the bit they go for. Apparently it tastes a lot like chicken....
3. What’s your favourite Disney movie?
My fav of all time is 'Jungle Book'. When me and my sister were kids, we used to visit family in Northern Cyprus on our summer holidays. They used to have siestas in the hot afternoons, but us being hyperactive kids needed to be entertained whilst they were all napping. They had a collection of 'English videos' that would come out and we would watch them mesmerised. They included 'The Fly', an old copy of Wrestlemania 2, and also 'The Jungle Book'.
These would get played on rotation but invariably only one of these could I call a classic and a favourite. I'm not a big Disney fan, and a lot of their creations piss me off but with The Jungle Book you get something great (incidently it was last film personally overseen by Walt Disney). It's built around a great story by Rudyard Kipling (although some of the darker elements are removed, is full of great characters voiced by great actors, and is chock-a-block with magnificent songs.
Who would have thought that a bear could come out with this classic:
4. In what circumstances is a “shoot to kill” policy acceptable?
Are there any circumstances where this is acceptable? This is a question that arose following the death of Jean Charles de Menezes (23/07/2005) at the hands of the Metropolitan Police when he was wrongly suspected of being a terrorist. And it has been raised again when the USA adopted a "shoot to kill" policy in the wake of violence following the devastation of Huricane Katrina.
I've had to think long and hard about this question. What would I do? I could take the Utilitarian viewpoint and decide on the 'greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people', is it worth sacrificing one life to save many more? What if de Menezes was a suicide bomber? Would his death have saved innocent lives? Of course he was innocent, we know that now, but what if?
There are too many questions to be asked, and hindsight is a wonderful gift, but after all the things I've seen I would say that a 'policy' of death is not acceptable under any circumstances. How can yu tell someone they've got a greenlight to kill people indiscriminately. Do they have a set of guidelines in this policy about what the person has to be doing to get killed? And how do you gauge such a thing?
Every decision we make in our lives is effected by the situations we are in. No two scenarios are the same and so there must be flexibility in the laws we uphold and the policies we make.
So to answer the question I would have to say that a "shoot to kill" policy is never acceptable but if someone was threatening me and it was me or them then I'd probably do what I could to survive.
5. The music police will erase every song in the world except five of your choosing. What do you save?
Oh my god, what a toughie. You really saved the hardest question till the end. I'm always terrible at these type of questions..."what's your favourite film?", "Best album of all time?"..etc I think you get the drift.
I'm sure that I'll remember a few classics after a while but I'll just go for it now as I'm sure if I don't decide soon then the music pigs will delete everything.
1.End Of A Century - Blur (something to reminiss to)
2.The Day I Tried To Live - Soundgarden (something to rock to and play air guitar)
3.Jump Around - House Of Pain (something to jump around to...obviously)
4. I'm So Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green (something to get your groove on to)
5.Wise Up - Aime Mann (Something to think about to)
It was really hard to pick a set of 5 songs because new ones kept popping into my head. I hope you like some of them.
2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions
1. Describe your journey to work.
I have 2 jobs so I'll describe my journey to them
My first job is 2 miles away. I usually drive. Quite lazy, I have cycled a few times before but I've slipped back into getting there quickly. It takes 5 minutes, time for a couple of tracks on the CD player, and then I'm at work. Not a very interesting story.
For my other job I only live 30 seconds away so I usually leave 3 minutes before I'm meant to start. I walk (obviously) and I'm there pretty soonish.
2. You’ll starve unless you eat a dead human being. Which bit of them do you eat first?
Leg or Breast mmmmm....Oh that's a Christmas question, not to be confused with becoming a cannibal. The obvious thing I'd ask is 'what is the situation?', and I would probably want to know that before I made this decision but I won't delve into that too much and will instead assume that I've got to pick a body part.
I love meat and I can never refuse a bit of rump steak so my choice would have to be the rump, the buttocks, call it what you will, but I think that would be the best bit. I've seen the film 'Alive' many times and that's the bit they go for. Apparently it tastes a lot like chicken....
3. What’s your favourite Disney movie?
My fav of all time is 'Jungle Book'. When me and my sister were kids, we used to visit family in Northern Cyprus on our summer holidays. They used to have siestas in the hot afternoons, but us being hyperactive kids needed to be entertained whilst they were all napping. They had a collection of 'English videos' that would come out and we would watch them mesmerised. They included 'The Fly', an old copy of Wrestlemania 2, and also 'The Jungle Book'.
These would get played on rotation but invariably only one of these could I call a classic and a favourite. I'm not a big Disney fan, and a lot of their creations piss me off but with The Jungle Book you get something great (incidently it was last film personally overseen by Walt Disney). It's built around a great story by Rudyard Kipling (although some of the darker elements are removed, is full of great characters voiced by great actors, and is chock-a-block with magnificent songs.
Who would have thought that a bear could come out with this classic:
"And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you"
4. In what circumstances is a “shoot to kill” policy acceptable?
Are there any circumstances where this is acceptable? This is a question that arose following the death of Jean Charles de Menezes (23/07/2005) at the hands of the Metropolitan Police when he was wrongly suspected of being a terrorist. And it has been raised again when the USA adopted a "shoot to kill" policy in the wake of violence following the devastation of Huricane Katrina.
I've had to think long and hard about this question. What would I do? I could take the Utilitarian viewpoint and decide on the 'greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people', is it worth sacrificing one life to save many more? What if de Menezes was a suicide bomber? Would his death have saved innocent lives? Of course he was innocent, we know that now, but what if?
There are too many questions to be asked, and hindsight is a wonderful gift, but after all the things I've seen I would say that a 'policy' of death is not acceptable under any circumstances. How can yu tell someone they've got a greenlight to kill people indiscriminately. Do they have a set of guidelines in this policy about what the person has to be doing to get killed? And how do you gauge such a thing?
Every decision we make in our lives is effected by the situations we are in. No two scenarios are the same and so there must be flexibility in the laws we uphold and the policies we make.
So to answer the question I would have to say that a "shoot to kill" policy is never acceptable but if someone was threatening me and it was me or them then I'd probably do what I could to survive.
5. The music police will erase every song in the world except five of your choosing. What do you save?
Oh my god, what a toughie. You really saved the hardest question till the end. I'm always terrible at these type of questions..."what's your favourite film?", "Best album of all time?"..etc I think you get the drift.
I'm sure that I'll remember a few classics after a while but I'll just go for it now as I'm sure if I don't decide soon then the music pigs will delete everything.
1.End Of A Century - Blur (something to reminiss to)
2.The Day I Tried To Live - Soundgarden (something to rock to and play air guitar)
3.Jump Around - House Of Pain (something to jump around to...obviously)
4. I'm So Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green (something to get your groove on to)
5.Wise Up - Aime Mann (Something to think about to)
It was really hard to pick a set of 5 songs because new ones kept popping into my head. I hope you like some of them.
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1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below asking to be interviewed.2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions
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