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Feeling rough
Why is it that feling really poorly always seems to coincide with time you have got off work anyway, and/or time when you're supposed to be enjoying yourself?
Posted on December 31, 2004 | Comments (2)
Nothing on telly at Christmas
Because there's (as usual) nothing of interest on television over Christmas, there's even more reason to resort to films. As part of our attempt to watch the IMDb's top 50 movies (as they stood this time last year, with the omission of frequently the viewed LotR trilogy), a small group ended up at the Filmworks in Manchester for a Christmas eve showing of It's A Wonderful Life. A great film, marred only by the appearance of a DVD menu on screen at the end, we followed this at home later with The Nightmare Before Christmas - two films that seem to say 'why try to change your life when it's actually rather good'. Christmas day was taken up with the Star Wars extras and the extended cut of Return of the King... there must be something on television soon. Not that we'll ever run out of DVDs!
Posted on December 27, 2004 | Comments (7)
Nearly time...
For Christmas. For the new year. For my birthday. Another year has passed me by and what have I achieved? Erm, well, nothing really. I'm working somewhere new, but that's no surprise as I change jobs quite often, and everything else is just the same. Some people have had wonderfully exciting years with great (and well deserved) things happening to them, where I've just plodded along. 2005 needs to be different but I'm not sure how as planning for change doesn't always work. Still, I'm actually feeling festive this year and Santa's bringing me a new mobile phone avec camera, so the smile's still in place.
Posted on December 21, 2004 | Comments (5)
Two years and counting
Although the blog didn't properly start for another month or so, my site has had a counter on it since 20th December 2002. In that time I've had 35,497 visits - 31,790 of them from unique visitors and 20689 via referrers - which is not at all bad really. I'd like to thank my top five referrers, without whom I would never have got such numbers through the gates. Hope you've all had fun when you've popped by. Doesn't time fly?
Posted on December 20, 2004 | Comments (5)
Frolicsome festive fun
Thanks to Finn, I finally had a good Xmas do. He invited me along to his company bash on Friday and it was far better than mine. Who said there was no such thing as a free lunch? Oh, wait... that wasn't lunch.
Posted on December 19, 2004 | Comments (2)
Best Christmas present ever?
A friend of mine sent out an email, asking what the best Christmas present we'd ever had was. Hers was her dog, Leonard, so I put my thinking cap on and went back in time...
My best Christmas present was a crown that I got when I was five. It wasn't easy to get something like a crown in 1980 (no Toys 'R' Us or Disney Store!) but I was adamant that was what I wanted, and Santa delivered the most beautiful one imaginable. It was this present that made me believe in Father Christmas for longer than my friends because I thought there was no way my parents could have bought it - it was a real crown.
I found out later that my Dad's friend got some sheet aluminium from work which he cut and bent into shape, my Dad made holes around the bottom so that my Mum could attach a nice padded velvet edging (just like that posh crown the queen has), and then Mum finished it off by glueing on jewels taken off necklaces she'd bought in charity shops. I don't have it any more, which is a shame because it was beautiful, but I still have photos. That was a lovely Christmas.
So... what's the best Xmas gift you've ever received?
Posted on December 18, 2004 | Comments (4)
Things I never thought I'd hear #1
Shane Richie and Chris Moyles on Radio One at 8.20am discussing which blokes they would have a 'dabble' with. I hope they don't get any complaints because I thought it was highly entertaining. Moyles reckons everyone will be bi in 1000 years or so which would be great because, "if a girl dumps you... sleep with her brother"! Genius.
Posted on December 17, 2004 | Comments (6)
My weekend in a nutshell
Work Xmas do (worst food ever), train to London (arrived 15 minutes early), meal with Adrian and Ian (fabulous food), party (not as good as I'd hoped), bumped into minor celebrity (guess who in the comments, if you like), wait in the street for a pub to open (sad, eh?), returned home. *yawn*
Posted on December 12, 2004 | Comments (8)
And now, the end is near
I have to hand in my photos and workbook for City & Guilds to mark next week. It's our last class tomorrow night and I have to get two rolls of building photos and two rolls of portraits down to a total of 12 shots for the final portfolio, and it's more tricky than I thought. Thankfully it's because I think I have more than six good images in each collection. You can judge for yourself with the portraits as they're in the gallery already, but the buildings were shot on slide film which doesn't scan so well on a flatbed*.
*Not that I'm stupid enough to try, of course.
Posted on December 06, 2004 | Comments (3)
Is it my imagination or...?
Posted on December 05, 2004 | Comments (8)
Top five concerts I've attended
1) Royksopp, Manchester Academy, December 2002 - I wasn't expecting any more than 'that song I like off the T-Mobile ad', but their music is so good live it's hard to believe. Great support acts and a fabulous atmosphere made this the most enjoyable gig I have ever been to. Please, can we have some more?
2) The Darkness, Manchester Apollo, October 2003 - Better than the Arena gig I saw recently, this concert was almost cosy because of the venue. More costume changes, more acrobatics and better sound than the current tour left me grinning like a fool for a week.
3) Depeche Mode, Crystal Palace, July 1993 - Supported by the Sisters of Mercy, this was DM at their drug/alcohol/nervous breakdown fuelled best. Apart from this, I have never been part of a crowd that size who were all there to see the same band. When they played 'I Feel You', I think I actually screamed.
4) Pet Shop Boys, Wembley Arena, June 2001 - My first concert and far better than I expected. Dancers, costumes, extra (dare I say it, better) singers, Chris Lowe dancing and Neil Tennant with a guitar. Would have been beaten to the fourth place spot by Electronic had Sumner & Marr not chosen a venue with worse acoustics than my bathroom.
5) Will Young, Manchester Arena, November 2004 - I know what you're thinking, but this was a really good show. I've seen many 'better' acts give really poor live performances but Will sang his heart out, with a great band and dancers in front of the largest audience he'd played so far. Got more of the arena crowd moving than Justin Hawkins did a week later too.
(N.B. These ratings are for pure enjoyment value and not musical talent.)
Posted on December 04, 2004 | Comments (2)
Volvo encourage bad driving?
I was stunned to hear yesterday that Volvo have developed a concept especially for women. Tailoring cars to the needs of a specific group of motorists is nothing new, but they don't usually pander quite so readily to stereotypes, or appear to encourage such bad driving as this. According to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, the concept has detectors to alert the driver as to whether a space is large enough to fit the car. Surely, you shouldn't be allowed on the road if you cannot even judge the size of your vehicle compared to a gap? Don't even mention the spilt headrest to accommodate ponytails, it's the extra mirror for lipstick application that really gets my goat. Make-up application (along with eating, sleeping, pooing and speaking on a handheld mobile phone), should be done before you set off or at your destination. When you're in the car you should be concentrating on the road, not your own reflection. I thought Volvo were a safety conscious manufacturer. The only thing that didn't surprise me about this story was that Newsbeat used a comment from a woman who said it was good and they should make more cars in pink too, because she'd buy one. Tabloid journalism for the airwaves.
I wonder if we'll be getting more concepts like this in the future... perhaps a Ford Fiesta designed especially for the over 70s. It'd have a speed limiter set to 40mph, scatter cushions, a teasmade in the glove compartment, built in tissue box holder, prescription windscreen, and a voice activated radio that turns down the volume when it hears the driver utter the word "eh?". Maybe a car to reassure nervous new drivers would be a good seller if it had bargain sat nav (because they don't know any shortcuts yet), and a scrolling matrix display in the back window that will show the word 'sorry' to other drivers at the touch of a button. Volvo should just forget the gimmicks and give drivers free parking lessons with every new car... actually, BMW should do that with its X5. Would save the air turning blue every time I try to find a space at the Trafford Centre.
Posted on December 03, 2004 | Comments (12)
Market research
I don't get many comments these days, and I like getting comments. It's one of the best things about having a blog and it's almost exciting when they appear, like getting post or email. All I get now are spam comments. Is it because there's no one reading, do you hate the photoblog, or do you just not have anything to say? I'm curious because I don't have a blog just for me, it's for you guys too and so I want to fix it if you think it's broken. If all else fails, I can always announce a hiatus as that always gets a stack of comments :)
Posted on December 02, 2004 | Comments (14)
Get your hands off my woman!
Went to see The Darkness tonight. There will be no photos (although we were certainly close enough to have taken some), as no camera equipment accompanied us. However, Ash weren't a bad support act, the pyrotechnics were awesome, the new songs were great, and the tiger was ace. I am pleased to report that The Darkness still rock... a lot!
Posted on December 01, 2004 | Comments (4)