It's Christmas!! [in a Noddy Holder stylee]

not long now........

but it still doesn't feel like Christmas.....

They know that Santa's on his way; He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.

Is it the 22nd already??? I've got most of my presents but I've still got a few to get, but couldn't really be bothered today so I'll get them tomorrow. I hope I've been a good boy so that Santa visits me!!!

Let's talk about sex for now to the people at home or in the crowd, It keeps coming up anyhow

For regular readers to this blog you will know that I was going to Stevenage this weekend to meet V. Stevenage is 113 miles from here but as it's only on motorways it doesn't actually take that long. Now for those that don't know V. is 18 and has moved up to Stevenage with her family so I was going to be staying in the family home which could potentially result in some awkward moments, as her mother and brother were going to be there for the Friday and most of the Saturday, but unluckily for some fate played a hand.

V's soon to be stepdad, who was still at their old house, had broken his ankle whilst at work, leaving him incapacitated, and so V's mum and brother left that night leaving us the house to ourselves for the weekend....Brilliant [bad news about the ankle though].

We spent a fair bit of time just chilling and watching TV, going to the shops, and alike, and even managed a trip to the cinema to see Harry Potter [okay but mediocre] but you don't really want to hear about that do you??? Do you want all the juicy details??? Well if you do I will have to insert this....



[TOO LATE! It's been removed in case of future viewings from those who shouldn't see it!]
V should be coming down this week sometime and no doubt I'll be going up there again. I don't know how serious the relationship is but at the moment we're enjoying each others company and just going with the flow. Hopefully more news to follow from the big blog, which I hope has become more engaging in the past few weeks.

The winner takes it all... the loser has to fall

I'm off to a quiz tonight at the giant corporation that is Pfizer. Quite a few of my friends work there and we've done the quiz the past few times but never actually win. I don't know if this has something to do with the fact that we usually get very...very...drunk. "Armadillo's" [that is for Jonny if he reads this.]

Then on Friday afternoon I'm off to Stevenage....

On the road again...

A few posts back I told you of my brief dalliance with V. She moved away and I thought "end of story" although she said she would be visiting from time to time. Well we've been talking a bit on the phone and she told me that she'd be visiting this weekend as she could get a lift down with her Mum, I said that I could always give her a lift back, and then she said why don't I just go up there this weekend to visit.

So on friday I'll be making my way to stevenage and I'll come back early Sunday morning.

I'll tell you more then......who know's what will happen...it's been a while......

Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

A very Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year.
Let's hope it's a good one,
Without any fear.

mmmm...."Merry Christmas"...yes...."Without any fear"...ummm...no. On 20th March 2003 the Iraq war started, and although it was assumed that the conflict would be over pretty soon [after all we are vastly superior] today 'celebrates' the 1000th day of the war. Okay troops are pulling out and the US may not still class it as a war against Iraq [afterall they got Saddam didn't they], instead a war against terrorism, but people are dying everyday, bombs are going off, and I think we can categorically deny that 'War is Over' and that it will be a 'good one, without any fear.'
[Read more here]

There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting

Hi everybody! Just checking in before the weekend. How's your week been?? Mine's not been too bad although I am aching at the end of the week. On wednesday I was at work 10am-1:45pm then I played Rugby from 2pm-3:30pm and then I worked from 4pm 'til 9pm in the pub. I got home and my arms and legs were aching as I'd been putting in a few tackles at Rugby and my body isn't really used to it. Only my arms hurt now as I've used muscles that I haven't used for donkey's years. I am getting old!

I went out for my first Xmas dinner last night, then I've got a footy one tonight, and then another one on Saturday!! I will be even fatter by Sunday!!!

Have a good weekend guys and gals

Laters

i hurt myself today to see if i could feel

Yesterday's excursion into pain involved a drawing pin. I was at work and putting a pin back into a notice board when without realising it I had pushed the pin vitually all the way into my thumb! What had happened was that clumsily the pin had flipped around and so instead of going into the board it went in me! That didn't hurt as much as pulling the f**ker out...here come the blue plasters again.

'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun, Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won

My plans for my actual birthday were to have some fun during the day, maybe a spot of bowling, etc, but in the end we were all too tired and hungover and so I text everyone to tell them to meet up the Pub at 8pm for a few drinks and then maybe a wander down the seafront. That was the plan.

After the escapade's of Friday night I got a call from V [the now ex-colleague moving away] asking to meet up the pub at 6pm [10 minutes away] so I popped a fresh top on [bought from Matalan with some Birthday money] and got around there. I admit it was slightly awkward at first and slightly embarrassing as this is the pub where I work and there were loads of nudge nudge wink winks going around. We went into the pool room to play a few games and be somewhere a bit more private and soon things got back on track. As I said it was awkward and the first thing was to get this out in the open, she agreed, and from there we were able to talk honestly and frankly about everything.

It was a weird situation as we both knew she was going away but we both agreed that if that were not the case then we would've moved the relationship on. I know V only through working we her and so we have a few things in common but what do you talk about??? Usually crap because you're scared of making a fool of yourself and not actually committing to talking about personal things, but here's how it changed with V. Everything was going well and it was really good to actually talk about relationships with someone who I've had one of the shortest relationships with! [less than 24 hours!!]

It was soon 8pm and my friends turned up and so I had to share my time with V and them, but they were cool. The thing with Ramsgate is that virtually everyone knows everyone else, especially if you frequent the pub [a bit like Eastenders then], and so everyone we knew came in, and usually I'd be a bit embarrassed but in this case I wasn't and I think this was because we were very honest with each other and everyone likes to see 2 people happy in each others company.

V was meant to be finishing her packing that evening but of course couldn't resist and stayed till 10pm. We went outside and said our farewells which was quiet hard but obviously inevitable, and so that was the end of that. we've got emails and phones and so we will keep in touch although it won't be the same. Long distance relationships do not work and are very hard to maintain but I will visit her when she's settled down just to catch up with something who I could connect with.

I think the lesson learned is to be more confident and not afraid to express feelings. It's pretty obvious but something we do not always do. I hope you've enjoyed this romantic excursion on the Big Blog and hopefully more to follow from this Lothario.....either that or more boring posts coming up.

One way ticket to hell...AND BACK!!

Today is my birthday and I am now 25 years of age but I will not be partying too much tonight as I celebrated yesterday by going to France with 7 friends and am now very tired.

I got up at 6:20am to shower and make 8 lots of bacon sarnies before getting to the train station for 7:15am and getting the train to Dover in order to get the 9:45am sailing to Calais. It only takes 40 minutes to get to Dover but due to increased security we would have to check in 45 minutes before the sailing. I won't talk much about the day sufficed to say that I started drinking at 9:45am and ended at 2:30am, which meant that I drank A LOT. I've got to say that I'm shockingly quite proud of this and am being a complete hypocrite as in the past I've had many rants about drinkers and alcohol, but hey it was my birthday!

Now to go slightly on a tangent.... We got back to the local at 10pm and had slightly sobered up by this time so we were going to stay there till 12am, have some more drinks, and then make our own ways. I had also arranged to meet a work colleague from the Pub who is moving to Stevenage this weekend and when we got to the pub I bumped into her and she tried to persuade me to go clubbing in Margate. As I said I was quite tired by that time as it had been a long day but I really wanted to go as, well, I quite fancied her. We've been working together on Monday evenings and have been getting on really well together, and dare I say it slightly flirting, so maybe the evening was going to get even better [if you get what I mean].

I had a word with the guys and tried to persuade them to come along to Margate but they weren't really up for it, but a couple said they'd come along if I really wanted them too. I was going to hold them to it but before I knew it I was in a Taxi with said colleague and several other fellow workers or the female persuasion. We had a few drinks in Yates and then headed off to Buzz club and it soon became apparent that something could be happening. The night went well and we spent the night dancing and kissing. I felt good and rejuvenated as it's been a while since I've seen some 'action'.

She told me that she hadn't been sure whether I was interested in her or not [obviously this had been clarified over the evening] and it's true as I'm really quite bad at taking hints and spotting signs as I guess I'm quite scared of making a fool of myself by misreading the situation. I've been the subject of unrequited love and also been a victim of it too, and I can tell you it is very awkward. In this circumstance everything worked out quite well, but obviously she is moving away and so this relationship is ended before it has begun...damn.

I have a few questions. How can you tell the difference between casual friendly flirting and 'I want this to be something more' flirting?? Usually unless it's very full on then there's not much difference. In the past my lovelife has been saved by getting the lowdown from best friends and knowing that my advances will not be rejected. I guess I'm scared of rejection but for this I will use one of my favourite sayings: "You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket."

So here I am slightly boosted in confidence but knowing that I won't take my own advice.

I'm off out again tonight but will definitely be taking it a bit easier tonight. Laters

If I'd been out 'till quarter to three,would you lock the door?

I'm off to Calais tomorrow on a 9:45am sailing from Dover. Not much news this week as I've been working away from a PC. I'll try and get some pictures and put them up sometime over the weekend.

Farewell for now, au revoir 24 years of age, hello more mature 25 years.

[soundtrack to the weekend: Royksopp - What Else Is There?]

I was looking for another you, and I looked round by you were gone

George Best, often regarded as the greatest footballer to have played, died yesterday at the age of 59. If you don't know anything about his history then you must've been living on a desert island [if so then a big 'hello' from me and the new world order and click here to find out more].

It was announced a few days ago that his death was imminent and that there was nothing that could be done for him. He was going to die very soon and that was that, a life wasted? Maybe. Could it have been avoided? Possibly. But I couldn't believe some of the comments I heard over the past few days. Several people at the pub said that they hoped he would die! What? And after he had passed away they said that he deserved it and that it was good news! Their argument was that he'd been given so many chances, been given a new liver [drink related], but had still gone back on the booze, and as that was his last chance then he deserved to die.

I can't believe that anyone would wish someone were dead. We may say it from time to time but do we mean it? Well sometimes.....

At the end of the day [a great footballing cliche] he was a man who had too much talent, too much too young ,and in the end used alcohol to alleviate the pressure on him. Okay he did have some great times in his life, some that we'd give right arms for, but he was a celebrity that men wanted to be and that women wanted to be with, and alcohol seemed like a way out. It seems that the more you are graced with talent the more you are prone to lapses and the need to release. Alcoholism is a disease, one that you can never beat. Even if you stop drinking you will still class yourself as an alcoholic, and temptation is only a bottle away.

I know he was given chances but if you have a self-destructive psyche can you ever do what's best? I don't think so and so we say goodbye to one of the greats, who was always destined to be substituted before the end of the game of life but only after scoring the winning goal and causing the crowd to go wild.

[if you need help with alcoholism, either yourself or someone you know, then click here for info and links]

You're as cool as ice

Last night I saw the documentary "Touching the Void" which recounts the true story of two British climbers and their journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. They reached the summit but what happened on the way down has got to be one of the most amazing feats of human will, endurance, and perseverance that I have ever known of.

It's an amazing documentary and I'd reccommend it to anyone. If it had been me in that situation I believe I would've given up and died, but these guys didn't. Watch it.

--------------------------------------------
Over at SwissToni's Place he gets a guest editor to submit their Earworms* on his friday slot.

Earworm, a loan translation of the German Ohrwurm, is a term for a song stuck in one's head, particularly an annoying one. Use of the English translation was introduced by James Kellaris, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati. His studies appeared to demonstrate that different people have varying susceptibilities to earworms, but that almost everybody has been afflicted with one at some time or another.

I often wondered how he selected his contributers and it happens to be quite random. Last thursday I opened my inbox and there was an email from Mr ST...

hello mate - not in the least related to this post, but would you be free willing and able to be my guest editor on the Earworms of the Week slot over at my blog? All i would need is a list of the 10 songs stuck in your head over the next week, along with a little story about each?WHat do you say? Next Friday?

Well I sent off my choices yesterday so hopefully they will go up sometime today.

I ain't got a fever got a permanent disease, It'll take more than a doctor to prescribe a remedy

I've got ANOTHER cold!!!! I used to never get ill, I think it's because I never believed in it.

The thing is that because I work at a University I'm prone to being in contact with hundreds of people with different strains of cold and I can't be immune to all of them so they're queuing up to invade my body [the viruses not the students]. When I was a student I didn't get many colds but I think this is put down to me pickling my body with alcohol.

So I've got my 3rd cold in about a month, which stinks. My usual efforts to expunging the illness is to have a hot curry (last night) and to take vitamin C tablets, and getting drunk always helps but this isn't an option till Friday [time to join the rest of Britain in binge drinking].

I now put it to you [see I'm getting interactive] to tell me what your best cold cures are. Go on, tell me.

Erase and rewind

My last post was, let's admit it, slightly boring and non-engaging. The fact is that after an absence of blogging my current material hasn't been up to much and has slipped from the personal into something more clinical and impersonal. The best blogs are once which engage the reader in the personal lives of the blogger and which fulfil our voyeuristic needs.

A while back I was posting regularly and was getting quite a few hits and comments, but now I only get the odd couple from a select few who have endured through the mire of mediocrity of what 'The Big Blog' has become. I have to get my ego back and start talking about ME and MY world. So it's back to basics and talking about stuff that I care about.

Well here we go...............

Okay I've got nothing to say at the moment.

somehow the vital connection is made

I am blogging wireless!

I ordered a 3com Wireless ADSL Modem Router from Ebuyer.com which included a free 802.11g Pcmcia Card (is it really free or do they just whack the price up and put it in the box?) which came to £64.99 (incl. VAT) plus £5 postage. There were a few cheaper options but 3com are a recognised name and I read the reviews on the site and most were extremely positive.

It arrived on Thursday and I left work early so I could try it out! It was very simple and initially involved loading the software and plugging in the gagdets. I then had to go to an admin screen on the web and configure the connection, change passwords, usernames, and activate other security features. I connected the desktop to the modem via cable and used the card in my laptop. A few wizard steps later and I was wireless!

Obviosuly the novelty of walking around the house with the laptop has worn off but I'm thinking of morefun to be had. I'm thinking that I could possibly be able to get the wireless at the local pub from the reception from my house! It may invlove getting a stronger attenna for the modem but it would be bit of novelty althoug hit would interfere with drinking.

I haven't set up a network yet because I can't be bothered at the moment but that will be the next step. The one thing stopping me is the crap that's on the desktop PC. It's slowed down from what it was before to to the extreme amount of crap on it. I really need to delete a lot of stuff from in and maybe transfer some of it onto DVD. I made a start before but it's going to take quite a while.

That's the end of the techy post but all I can say is that if you're looking to go wireless then the 3com Wireless ADSL Modem Router is a good deal and very easy to set up. If you want something else then remember to get a modem and router together, unlike my friend Tim who also just bought a router, saw ASDL in the title, and thought it had a modem. WRONG. Always read the small print thoroughly. Lesson learned.

Laters all.

Arrivederci its one on one

At Preston FC we've had a bit of a turn around over the past 2 weeks and have won our last 2 games. The first was against Pfizer (the guys who make Viagra), a team who we have a little history with, after they played against us with an inelegible player, and had to replay the game. Well it was a divisional cup game and we won 2-1 with a penalty in the last 5 minutes of extra-time, very sweet and we were on a high (no game for me due to a slight pull on the old hammy). This week we were playing a team one point and one place above us so we had to win it to move up the table. We won 5-2 and team moral is high going into future games. It's great to see the team doing doing well and everyone is very positive. It's amazing what a difference a few weeks can do.

The website is going really well and although I haven't played for a couple of weeks I've been able to take some good photos of the games and upload them. The forum's now had 896 posts in just over a month and the website has had 900 hits too! Great.

But we did nothing, absolutely butkis that day

England 19-23 New Zealand

Damn it. We went up the pub at 2:30pm to watch the rugby....and stayed out till the pubs shut, so a fair bit of alcohol was consumed...and I've got to go to footy in an hour!

We made a detour from out normal pub route and actually visited a pub that's just re-opened, The Wheatsheaf. It used to be a bit of a dive and closed down for quite a while but has now reopened with a new owner and decor. It's still nothing special, has no TV, and is full of dodgy old men, but what it has got is a jukebox and pints for £2.30, which is a 50p saving on normal pub prices. Also the pool table was brokenlast night so we got to play on it for free!

Speak laters

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

When you are registering a domain check to see if they can be read differently. (borrowed from THE RAW FEED)

Who Represents? - www.whorepresents.com

Experts Exchange - www.expertsexchange.com

Pen Island - www.penisland.net

Therapist Finder - www.therapistfinder.com

Mole Station Nursery - www.molestationnursery.com

Power-Gen Italia - www.powergenitalia.com

A few dodgy choices there.

Seven Rides for Seven Brothers

I finished reading 'Porno' by Irvine Welsh on Wednesday and now I'm bookless.

The novel is a sequel to 'Trainspotting' which I must admit I've only seen on the big screen and not read but this gave me a great mental imagery of the characters and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Welsh's use of dialogue and character accents adds something brilliant to the book and although slightly challenging at first I found myself slipping into the language and terminology.

I'd reccommend it to those who enjoyed Trainspotting, and best of all I picked up the book for £1.50 from the Cancer Research shop. Bargain.

I need to go out and get a DVD of Trainspotting pretty soonish as I need my fix.