Sites I like
Monday 30th June
The A556 appears to be the road for spotting new vehicles if my weekend travels are anything to go by. I travelled around 400 miles on nine major roads and motorways, but only one small section proved to be a new car fanatic's dream. I saw my first Citroen Pluriel (a nice little silver number transporting a couple of very smug looking young ladies), and also a VW Touareg (which is even bigger than I thought) on the return journey. On a related note, I wish I had the patience to hone my drawing skills to a standard suitable for this course. This year's show looks to be full of interesting work and I'll be amazed if all the students aren't quickly snapped up by major firms.
Posted on June 30, 2003 | Comments (2)
Saturday 28th June
Grr. The direct link to my LomoHome doesn't seem to work, the comments aren't working, I have no ideas for a new post and I have places to go/people to see etc. Will be back on Monday with something better as I have an entire day off from work and will be less stressed. Hopefully.
Posted on June 28, 2003 | Comments (1)
Thursday 26th June
I wanted to post something deep and meaningful today, but it's getting late and I need some sleep. I was going to rant about the Daily Hell, get excited about the new laws coming in to ban idiots from negotiating a roundabout in an HGV whilst on their mobile phone, and cheer along with Greg Rusedski and his foul mouth but instead... ooh, let's have some more about me! I got my first films back after snapping away on my new camera and have spent all night scanning the things so I think I'm allowed to mention my LomoHome now.
Posted on June 26, 2003 | Comments (0)
Wednesday 24th June
Television is so cheap these days. With the exception of US shows like 24, TV schedules are filled with ordinary people who cost the production companies a hell of a lot less than actors (ie nothing), making idiots out of themselves for the hell of it. From the heated 'debates' on Kilroy and Trisha, to doing garish things around the home on trash like Changing Rooms and Ground Force, you can't get away from normal folk on the box now. The worst part is that the companies get the show on the cheap in the first place with no script or actors fees to fork out for then, after it is shown for the first time on terrestrial, they get to repeat it as often as they like on satellite/cable channels, before showing it again on one of the big five. These production companies must be laughing all the way to the bank while the poor souls who agreed to it in the first place are subjected to the horrors of seeing their face popping up on telly every now and again for the next five years. Not that I'd know anyone in that situation... honest!
Posted on June 24, 2003 | Comments (10)
Monday 23rd June
I'm deeply unmoved by the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, despite thoroughly enjoying the first three books (number four is sadly gathering dust on a shelf). What a fuss! I hate hardbacked novels and wouldn't dream of rushing out to buy one as they are expensive, heavy and don't match the rest of your collection. The only novel I was so desperate to get that I suffered the hard cover edition was Better Than Life, the second book in the Red Dwarf series. My friends and I had virtually destroyed my copy of Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers in the rush to read it, and so this must-have was cunningly added to my Christmas list. It now has to sit apart from the others in the series on my shelves and I wish I'd waited for the paperback. I know it's a small thing, but I am sticking to my guns and will be spending the time until the paperback release reading the chunky fourth book. I am also hoping that the story will not be spoiled for me in this time as, with all the movie-style hype, that is a possibility. Mind you, I'm sure my memory is so bad that I'll have forgotten any spoilers by the time I come to read it.
For an exclusive interview with JK Rowling, just pop over to see nice Mr Scaryduck and tell him Lori sent you. I guarantee it will be worth the trip.
Posted on June 23, 2003 | Comments (7)
Sunday 22nd June
Friday was silly. I wrote a blog entry during some quiet time at work but forgot to email it home, and then I sorted out a blank tape to record the double eviction on Big Brother only to forget to press record. However, now that the two most interesting housemates are out, I think I'll be doing something else at 10pm on week nights. I took my life back from work, Big Brother and blogging on Saturday though by visiting some friends and wandering round the grounds of a stately home in the sunshine with my LC-A. Then, after a lager fuelled radio show, we finally got to bed at 3.30am. If only life was always this sweet.
Posted on June 22, 2003 | Comments (4)
Wednesday 18th June
This Ananova story puzzled me today: "World's luckiest man wins the lottery". This handsome young man survived seven disasters (train crashes, car accidents etc.), with little more than a scratch and has now won £600k on his first flutter in years. While the lottery win is undoubtedly lucky, I'm not sure about the rest of it. I mean, who gets into seven major disasters anyway? Sounds like one hell of an unlucky guy to me. I suppose the luck comes from not having been seriously injured, but it's still very strange. Perhaps Channel 4 should stick someone like him in the Big Brother house to liven things up a bit. Even an addict like me could get bored this year!
Posted on June 18, 2003 | Comments (8)
Tuesday 17th June
I'm managing to update the blog, writing and photo areas of my site with reasonable frequency now, but there is still one page that needs a bit of a content overhaul. I am hopeless at writing great biogs like this and so would like some help with what to include on my 'about' page. What sort of things should be included on a good one? What would you like to see on mine? Do you have any questions you'd like me to answer? Any help would be much appreciated as I've been thinking about it for a while now but have yet to succeed in writing something useable.
Posted on June 17, 2003 | Comments (5)
Monday 16th June
I've now received my Lomo LC-A in the post (better late than never), and have also finished my fantasy garage. Doesn't quite make up for the dirty feeling I got from reading the Daily Mail earlier today, but I'm sure the memory of it will fade with time.
Posted on June 16, 2003 | Comments (8)
Saturday 14th June
Who says crime doesn't pay? On the letters page of Auto Express this week one reader mentions a report from a local paper where a 20-year-old man was "fined £10 for driving without a licence, £100 for not having insurance, £10 for no MoT, ordered to pay £35 costs and disqualified from driving for two months". The same reader had paid £1,600 for a year's insurance and was, understandably, feeling a little short changed. As I already have a licence and am willing to pay for an MoT, perhaps I should consider going without insurance as I'd be bound to escape the two month ban and just get a piddly little fine, thus saving me hundreds of pounds. It's too bad that I'm just too honest. I don't know whether to blame the insurance and accident claim companies for this sad state of affairs, or the police.
One other tiny story caught my eye too. Mike Rutherford mentioned in his column that kids caught dropping bricks on M25 traffic were "too young to appear in juvenile court and collect a criminal record". He doesn't mention how old these children were, but they can't have been babies, and anyone older than two is surely going to realise the consequences of dropping a brick on something. Or am I over-simplifying? Still, I'd just like you all to know that, should this happen to my car and I end up with a brick where my brain should be, if there's any money left over after the humanist funeral I would like it to go to campaigning to get whoever did it to have a thoroughly miserable life. I hope I can count on your support.
Posted on June 14, 2003 | Comments (4)
Friday 13th June
I watched the last ever episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Sky One last night, and was quite impressed. I haven't been watching the show from the start but will miss it, even though I knew it was the right time for things to end. Unlike die-hard Buffy fans, I really enjoyed season six (mainly because the Slayer and Spike became rather rude with each other), and seven was good too despite some of the dodgy accents adopted by the supporting cast. I won't spoil it for any fans reading who are waiting for the terrestrial showing, but I will just add that the mention of the Trogdor was truly a special moment.
Posted on June 13, 2003 | Comments (4)
Thursday 12th June
I watched a programme last night about Charles Saatchi and his new gallery, switching over afterwards to watch another on Brit Art which was supposedly focussing on Damien Hirst. I was disappointed to see hardly any references to Hirst in the first ten minutes and so switched off, but then came across this Guardian article this morning. I find most contemporary art merely interesting, but Hirst's work is quite fascinating. I love the controversial pieces like the many animals in formaldehyde, as well as the slightly more traditional spin paintings, but this new work appears to add comedy value too. I hope I get a chance to see it sometime, but I expect it will involve another trip to London. I suspect Liverpool's Tate will have plenty of this kind of thing in 2008, but I can't really wait until then.
Posted on June 12, 2003 | Comments (2)
Tuesday 10th June
I heard that Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes got married last month without anyone knowing. Just three close friends and Winslet's daughter were at the ceremony and the press didn't have a clue until the couple announced it. I'm not quite sure what this says about them, to be honest. Does it mean that they are masters of avoiding the limelight, or is it simply that they just aren't important enough to have a pack of Paparazzi stalking them? It seems odd that, while the UK press are keen to follow the every detail of the lives of a bunch of nobodies locked in a house, a Hollywood actress and director can just slip away unnoticed.
Posted on June 10, 2003 | Comments (0)
Monday 9th June
Inspired by last night's Top Gear, I decided to come up with my own fantasy garage. If I could have any ten cars in the world, what would they be? This is not as easy a task as I first thought and, after several hours, I still only had a handful of contenders. I'm so used to thinking realistically that I couldn't make the leap to lottery winner money. Once I come up with my full list, I'll post an article on the site.
Posted on June 09, 2003 | Comments (3)
Friday 6th June
I was amused to hear that the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, had flashed a v-sign at journalists waiting outside 10 Downing Street, but the photo on Ananova was a tad inconclusive. If they think that's an offensive hand gesture, then I'm a little concerned. I did, however, like the quote from a Tory MP who was shocked that "Young people will think this is the norm."! I'm sorry, v-sign or not, I think Prescott's behaviour is a breath of fresh air in modern politics. I mean, here's a guy that normal people can relate to, who lets his feelings out once in a while rather than keeping them bottled up under a false façade. Why can't more politicians be like that? Might make things a bit more interesting.
Posted on June 06, 2003 | Comments (9)
Thursday 5th June
Does anyone know what the music is that features on the television advert for the new Citroen Pluriel? If you haven't seen it yet, the ad features two small children having a Harry Potteresque fight over what guise they want the car in (hatchback, cabriolet etc.), but when the girl tells the boy to grow up, he magically does and drives off in the thing. It's a wonderful eye-catching advertisement for a really exciting car, but trying to work out where I've heard the music before is quite frustrating. I think it might have been from a Disney cartoon, but not even the IMDb can help by giving me a list of their animated features. Can anyone put me out of my misery?
Posted on June 05, 2003 | Comments (5)
Tuesday 3rd June
I have just heard on BBC Breakfast that JD Wetherspoon, the pub chain famous for its 'no music' and 'no smoking' policies, has now decided to put up signs in all of its 610 outlets to ask patrons to refrain from swearing. This was apparently after a massive two (yes, you read that right) complaints from regulars in one pub. No smoking, or swearing... what next, no drinking? What sort of people go to these places anyway? OK, so I don't swear all the time but, if a conversation with a friend moves on to a topic where a few words crop up, I don't want to be drinking in a place that will make a scene and throw us out. I am hoping, for the sake of sanity, that this story is false.
Posted on June 03, 2003 | Comments (11)
Sunday 1st June
After the success of a girl's website where she asked for donations to her breast implant fund, comes the latest innovative web fund-raising idea - Rent A Gent. A 19-year-old student in the UK is trying to raise a year's tuition fees by renting parts of his body. He seems to be doing well so far which has started me wondering if it's worth coming up with a daft scheme to help me pay off my credit card. As I'm not good with original money-making ideas, I think I'll perhaps continue to wade through my old books and CDs and sell them off via Amazon. I doubt I'll have as many to get rid of as Meg did, but every little counts.
Also, I seem to have had a few links from a site called Top Blogs recently so I went to check it out. It appears that some anonymous reader kindly set up an account for me on there, so I figured I may as well put it to use and swiftly changed the password. If you want to vote for me and send me up the list, you can do so here, but I'm not fussed if you think it's all a bunch of arse.
Posted on June 01, 2003 | Comments (0)