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Coolio Lives in my Cupboard

Posted: 16-05-2008 16:05:00
Al's just put some best-of-the-90's compilation album on the office music system. He's currently singing along to Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. You can tell it's Friday :)

Dodgy

Posted: 16-05-2008 13:12:48
I saw an advert for O2 broadband on the side of a bus yesterday. It's strap-line included "We're better, connected". Legally, that must mean "We [the customers] are better when connected" but Average Joe could read that as "We [02] are better connected". Seems naughty to me...

Shand's Manor

Posted: 15-05-2008 13:20:50
I watched The Long Good Friday last night. I'd forgotten what a great film it is. I got it from Asda for £2. Bargain!

Laverly Weekend

Posted: 12-05-2008 09:48:53
How damn nice was it at the weekend? Here's a break-down of mine. (Including not one, but two BBQs!).

Saturday AM : Lounge around, clean flat, play GTA IV.
Saturday PM : BBQ at Reg and Carla's.
Sunday AM : Shopping at Asda. (Nightmare).
Sunday PM : Lunch at the Green Man in Middleton. BBQ in the evening at Dad's.

Rock On

Posted: 09-05-2008 14:03:34
I'm going with a few of the Cherries to see Gavin F's band, Shapes, at The Flapper, in Brum. It should be fun, but I'm driving back to Tamworth after, so I can't partake in any alcoholic beverages.

Nowt solid planned for the weekend, although I quite fancy going back to The Green Man in Middleton for Sunday lunch.

Summer

Posted: 07-05-2008 14:06:19
An elderly Chinese couple got onto the bus last night. At first, the lady was speaking in some dialect of Chinese and the gent was responding in perfect English. As the conversation went on, they both started randomly switching between Chinese and English. It was very entertaining to listen to!

I don't talk much about music on my blog, but I have a recommendation if you can find it. The album in question is "Home Taping Volume 1", a compilation of garage punk and rock and roll, compiled by The Hives. I've listened to it at least once a week since 2003 and the best thing is that I got it free with a copy of Kerrang!

The track-list pretty much defines the type of music I'm into at the moment :

1 : Radio Birdman - Aloho Steve & Danno
2 : Hellacopters - I Wanna Touch
3 : Randy - Win or Lose
4 : Oblivians - Strong Come On
5 : New Bomb Turks - ID Slips In
6 : Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia (Live)
7 : The Damned - New Rose
8 : Saints - Know Your Product
9 : Compulsive Gamblers - Stop and Think it Over
10 : Flaming Groovies - Slow Death
11 : Baby Conn - United Nations
12 : Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Get Down Lover
13 : BellRays - Blue Cirque
14 : Detroit Cobras - Hey Sailor
15 : Dirtbombs - Chains of Love

Nice Weekend

Posted: 06-05-2008 09:22:31
I had a pretty good weekend. Spent most of Saturday and Sunday relaxing and socialising with friends and family. Oh, yeah, and playing on GTA IV, which is awesome by the way.

Yesterday, I had planned on visiting the Moira Furnace with my brother. The morning bought rain, so we called it off. Then in the afternoon it spontaneously became lovely out so we went for a drive with my mate Mole to Middleton where we had a cheeky drink in the Green Man followed by a walk around the church grounds.

After drinks I drove us over to Kingsbury Water Park where we had a good walk round, rode the miniature steam railway and watched the jet-skiers in action. Pretty good day all in all!

Bank Hols!

Posted: 02-05-2008 16:41:33
I'm looking forward to the bank holiday weekend. (Well, duh). I have no plans and that's just how I like it. I like to be spontaneous although it normally results in me being spontaneously lazy...

Enjoy, see you back in the rat-race on Tuesday!

Guess the Song

Posted: 01-05-2008 13:01:09
Stealing Gav's idea, guess the song and artist from this picture :



















Answers on a postcard to : richard@clevercherry.com

GTA IV

Posted: 30-04-2008 10:24:52
My special edition copy of Grand Theft Auto 4 came today. Gav, Mark and Al are all super jealous, I can tell.

Edit : I spelt "jelus" rong. Sorrie, gies!

Back to Work

Posted: 28-04-2008 10:04:02
My week off was a restful affair. Just relaxed, ate and drank too much, watched films and played games. I also took a lot of photographs on my new camera - a Canon Eos 400D.

It's Friday

Posted: 18-04-2008 09:21:03
I slept like a baby last night, which was good. Head feels a bit fuzzy now, though, mind!

I was rather bored last night so I got to having a look at the process of making Gadgets for Windows Vista's Sidebar. It's surprisingly easy...

Bookworm

Posted: 16-04-2008 09:19:30
I finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman yesterday. It was very good, indeed - the twists at the end were great.

I've moved onto an anthology of short stories, poems and essays by the same author called "Smoke and Mirrors". I've already read the first 5 short stories, (a couple are only 2 pages long), and they were all excellent. I especially liked the first story "Chivalry" which features an OAP who finds the Holy Grail in an Oxfam shop. Very funny indeed!

Choo Choo!

Posted: 14-04-2008 17:35:29
And you thought the trains in the country were bad...

Drink!

Posted: 14-04-2008 10:20:43
I had a great night on Friday - lots of drink and plenty of immature behaviour! Saturday was a write-off...

I had to do my grocery shopping on Sunday morning as a result - what a nightmare! I wish that the government would see sense and lift the weird 6 hour opening limit for Sundays. Shopping at 8am is a very different experience to shopping at 10am...

PARTAAAAY!

Posted: 11-04-2008 15:50:13
It's my mate Ben's birthday tomorrow so a gang of us are off out around Tamworth - should be fun! Hopefully, the rest of the weekend will be a chilled-out affair...

Brap Brap

Posted: 10-04-2008 10:44:54
In response to Gav's "Informer" blog, I see your Snow and raise you a Rehdogg. Youtube Awesomeness

I Commute

Posted: 09-04-2008 09:35:00
Things seen / Observations made during my commute this week:

Yesterday, PM
Saw : Lots and lots of joggers, esp. around the Sutton area.
Observed : Chavs always turn to stare at busses as they pass. Must be all the shiny metal and glass.

Today, AM
Saw : An emo guy with brightly coloured girl's hair grips keeping his dyed black fringe in place over one eye.
Saw : A BMW M3 with the licence plate "M3 0WND".
Observed : Virtually all West Midlands Travel bus drivers are complete ass-hats with no respect for other road users. Especially those bendy busses - I HATE those.

Snow

Posted: 07-04-2008 10:43:22
Wasn't the snow pretty yesterday? I took the opportunity to take some photos in the nature reserve with the family dog, before it all melted.

I pigged out this weekend - 3 course meal for Saturday lunch and a big Sunday roast. Back on the salads this week, I think!

Campbell

Posted: 04-04-2008 12:03:19
Naomi Campbell is in the news once more for throwing a tantrum. What a self-absorbed spoilt brat she is. How many times is she going to throw her toys out of the pram before someone has the good sense to give her a slap?

I've got a full social calendar this weekend :

  • A leaving party tonight for an old work-mate who's emigrating to Australia

  • Lunch in town tomorrow with friends

  • Dinner tomorrow night at an Italian restaurant in Tamworth which is owned by the brother of Renee from the singing duo Renee and Renato. Apparently he sings there occasionally... jesus...

    • Bloc Party

    Posted: 02-04-2008 14:31:53
    We've currently got Bloc Party's album "A Weekend in the City" on at Cherry HQ. It's dreary crap, if you ask me. According to Wikipedia, Bloc Party fall under the genre of Post-punk revival. This may be true for a couple of tracks from their debut "Silent Alarm", but the new album just sounds like bed-wetter music to me.

    Trouble in Paradise

    Posted: 31-03-2008 09:22:40
    I was looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. Saturday started off well with shopping and lunch in Brum with Dad and a nice big curry with the family for dinner. I went to bed around 11, as I was dog-tired and needed the early night.

    That didn't go to plan though, as the people in the flat upstairs decided to have an after-pub party until 5am. I tried to get them to turn the noise down, but they completely ignored me pounding on their door. Tossers!

    Easter

    Posted: 26-03-2008 15:29:53
    I had a fairly civil and chilled Easter break; didn't do an awful lot. I spent a huge chunk of Good Friday constructing new bedroom furniture from Ikea. They should give me a discount considering the amount of money I've spent there this year!

    Happy Easter!

    Posted: 20-03-2008 10:23:27
    We're all breaking up today for the Easter break. I love the 4 day weekends! (Who doesn't). I have no set-in-stone plans, but I'm sure I'll find something amusing to do.

    I started a new book today : "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it's already turning out to be a riveting read.

    Choke

    Posted: 19-03-2008 16:00:21
    I've just finished "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk. Quick verdict : It was excellent. Nerdy verdict : It was an interesting look at modern society, the nature of addiction and the need for conflict/danger we all need to feel alive. Read it!

    Flooding

    Posted: 18-03-2008 11:10:52
    The lake on the nature reserve which my flat over-looks has burst it's banks! There's still plenty of height on the flood-defences, but I'm still glad to be on the first floor...

    Love That Stuff

    Posted: 14-03-2008 12:20:30
    As I was shopping for a new steam iron the other night, I came to the realisation that my priorities in life have shifted somewhat over the last couple of years. It's all good though; I'm enjoying spending money on stuff I need rather than just stuff I want. Oh yeah, I can highly recommend the Tefal Aquaspeed. I went for the model with the anti-spill feature, a snip at £17.99.

    DVD recommendation of the week : American Gangster. (Get the extended version, it's choice).

    Music recommendation of the week : Mink, Rat, Or Rabbit by The Detroit Cobras.

    Itchy Hands

    Posted: 12-03-2008 13:03:51
    I seem to have developed a dermatitis of some type on my hands. I thought at first that it was a reaction to my washing up liquid, but I've been using marigolds, (very fetching), for the last week and the condition has not improved so it must be something else. It sucks!

    Labrapooch

    Posted: 10-03-2008 14:25:26
    Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to say - I saw a labradoodle while shopping in Lichfield on Saturday.

    Paper

    Posted: 10-03-2008 14:17:54
    Peter Callesen is a dude who does amazing art with paper - Check it out!

    In other news, my weekend started off well but petered out to lazy boredom on Sunday afternoon.

    Forthcoming Weekend, List Format

    Posted: 07-03-2008 11:11:33

    The New Beeb Site

    Posted: 05-03-2008 15:57:29
    Mark's WRONG. I think the new BBC website is awesome. You can move bits about, customise what you see on the website and all sorts!

    Books

    Posted: 05-03-2008 15:41:42
    I'm currently reading "Blaze" by Stephen King. I've been continually reading King's books for about a year and a half now, and decided that Blaze is going to be the last book by him that I'd read for a while. I'm a big fan of his works, but there's quite a lot of repetition in his narrative between books and certain scenes pop up again and again - time for something new!

    I've ordered "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk and "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman, both of which come highly recommended.

    Booooooring!

    Posted: 03-03-2008 11:18:45
    To celebrate my bother getting a new job, a few of us went out on Friday night for a couple of frames of bowling, followed by a beer or ten.

    I was dreadfully hungover on Saturday so I decided to do absolutely nothing. I played games on my computer for an hour or two until a headache kicked in, then watched films on my awesome media centre setup and had a little kip on my sofa.

    Sunday was slightly more active - went shopping in the morning, then cleaned the flat and constructed my new rowing machine in the afternoon. I thought I earned a decent dinner, so did myself an Aberdeen Angus burger with crispy fries. It was lush.

    Weekend! Woooo!

    Posted: 29-02-2008 10:44:44
    I've got good vibes about this weekend, I think it's going to be awesome. Congrats to my bro, who has just got a new job!

    Eartttthhhhhhquaaaaaake!

    Posted: 27-02-2008 15:39:22
    I was shaken awake at 1am this morning by 'the biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years'. It was a pretty weird experience.

    Yawn

    Posted: 25-02-2008 09:34:43
    Had a pretty boring weekend, all-in-all, so not much to report this morning! One thing I did learn on Saturday morning is that drinking porter on an empty stomach then eating a dodgy burger on the way home is not good for your digestion.

    Bling Bling

    Posted: 22-02-2008 14:37:19
    While commuting home on the bus last night, I was forced to listen to a chav mother and daughter arguing about the kid's desire for new trainers and the mum's lack of money.

    Annoyance turned to despair as the girl asked her mother for £3 so she could buy cigarettes. She wanted to sell them to her friends and make the money she needed for the trainers. The mother's response : "I know you've been smoking, but I ain't gonna let no 12 year old daughter of mine sell fags on the street!" Jesus wept...

    I'm determined not to spend any more money this weekend. That said, I desperately need to do some food shopping tomorrow. And I could do with a new mirror for the bedroom. Damn.

    Empty Bus Lanes

    Posted: 21-02-2008 15:23:52
    Gavin F was having a moan about car-share lanes in his blog yesterday. I can't say I have an opinion, but I'm loving the bus-lane on the A38 into Brum! No one seems to notice the "Bus lane suspended, please use left-hand lane" signs which pop up every now and again, so it's always empty!

    World's Greatest Music Collection

    Posted: 19-02-2008 16:01:14
    Stumbled upon this eBay auction today :
    World's Greatest Music Collection

    Cooooold!

    Posted: 18-02-2008 09:47:56
    Jesus it's cold today. The thermometer in my car said minus 6 this morning!

    My weekend included getting new Ikea furniture, (again), eating two home-cooked meals with the family and 2 Wii nights, one on Friday and one on Saturday. My arms ache today.

    Rich is Grate

    Posted: 15-02-2008 16:11:51
    On the way here this morning I thought of something really interesting to blog about but now I've forgotten it.

    I'm going shopping for more furniture tomorrow and doing as little as possible on Sunday. (Apart from eating a roast dinner).

    Pushing the Envelope

    Posted: 14-02-2008 11:56:16
    Just for Sue. (Thank you, Google!)

    Pushing the Envelope

    Curry Night

    Posted: 14-02-2008 11:49:01
    We went for a curry after work last night. It was good.
    I had a lamb bhuna. It was nice.

    "Proper" Cooking Take 2

    Posted: 11-02-2008 10:19:23
    I did some more cooking yesterday! I bought a nice big tuna steak in the morning which I left marinading in lime, chili, pepper and thyme all day. (Home-made, experimental recipe).

    I pan-fried it in butter and served it with herby rice. It was very nice indeed - marinading the meat all day made it very tender, but the resulting dish was a tiny bit acidic. Next time I'll try adding something to balance out the acidity of the lime juice. Something with a rich flavour like dark soy would do the trick, I think.

    Cheese + Peas = Cheesy Peas

    Posted: 08-02-2008 10:02:30
    I declined the after-work ale and game of darts at the Wellington last night. Apparently it was Cheese Night. The mind boggles.

    I've got an enthralling weekend of tidying up, shopping and drinking, (if I get time), this weekend. See you all on Monday!

    Grub

    Posted: 06-02-2008 11:43:22
    I made myself a rice, tomato, and assorted fridge-meat mashup for dinner last night. It looked like dog puke but it tasted spanking!

    Destroy!

    Posted: 04-02-2008 16:59:43
    I spent a whole hour and a half cutting up boxes in the spare room of my flat on Sunday. When I moved in, I chucked all of the empty boxes, (of which there were hundreds), and all of the plastic wrapping from my furniture into the spare bedroom for later disposal.

    Well, I decided to deal with the mountain of cardboard on Sunday morning, armed with just my iPod and trusty Stanley knife. It's a wonder I've still got any fingers left...

    "Real" Cooking Attempt #1

    Posted: 01-02-2008 10:44:00
    Last night I decided to do some proper cooking and make one of my spacial risotto / jambalaya mix-up dishes. They're pretty easy to do and normally taste pretty spanking so I was quite looking forward to the prospect during my evening commute.

    On getting home, though, I suddenly realised that I'm still missing some essential kitchen-ware. (Namely a set of scales and a measuring jug). I was forced to opt instead for the Cajun chicken and chips sitting in my fridge's freezer compartment. What a cop-out!

    Shaving

    Posted: 30-01-2008 10:49:19
    I always shave after having a shower. I practically never get shaving cuts and don't have a problem with sensitive skin after shaving.

    Last night I shaved before having a shower. (I'd let my whiskers grow pretty long and wanted to wash any stray hairs off in the shower). It was horrible! I got a couple of cuts, it hurt like hell both during and after and I've now got an itchy neck!

    So, my tip to all the male blog readers - shave after having a shower, rather than before - it's much better!

    Don Scrivioni

    Posted: 28-01-2008 12:56:12
    I can beat Mark's "Rockython" - I watched the entire Godfather trilogy this weekend! I was tired so I didn't do much else...

    Meat Pies

    Posted: 25-01-2008 13:07:04
    I did myself home-cooked meal #4 last night - Meat pie with chips and gravy. The pies were the traditional type and very tasty.

    Tonight I'm having friends over for a couple of beers and a game on the Wii. Weekend will be spent moving the last bits and bobs into my new flat and taking all the junk down the tip!

    Biccies

    Posted: 23-01-2008 12:17:34
    I had a couple of digestive biscuits last night after my dinner. I bit into the first one to find it'd gone all soft in the cupboard - yak! Disgust soon turned into delight as I noticed that it was banana flavoured!

    I had put my fruit, (including a bunch of bananas), into a cupboard with an open packet of digestives. (I don't yet own a fruit bowl). I guess that the biscuits must have soaked up the moisture from the ripening bananas causing them to become banana flavoured! Mmm... banana biscuits...

    Moving

    Posted: 21-01-2008 10:03:50
    I had a pretty stressful, (but ultimately very rewarding), weekend of moving into my new flat. All the furniture is up and assembled and I'm two boxes away from moving all of my stuff over.

    Getting the sofa and wardrobe up two flights of stairs wasn't much fun. My arms felt like lead yesterday! The gaff is looking good though.

    Illness

    Posted: 16-01-2008 15:39:47
    I was off with a mystery bug yesterday, a cross between a head cold and Delhi belly - not very nice. Thanks to the wonders of tinternet I was still able to work from home via. remote desktop, which is cool.

    I'm off from tomorrow until Monday so that I can move into my new flat. (Have I mentioned my flat yet?). It'll be nice to get everything sorted as this last fortnight has been pretty stressful!

    See you next week!

    Stress!

    Posted: 14-01-2008 13:12:59
    I sorted out all the furniture for my new flat on Saturday, which is good. What was bad was going round Ikea on a Saturday trying desperately not to lose my rag with idiots who can't walk at a consistent speed in a straight line!

    We got there for store opening, so it wasn't too bad for the first hour and a half or so, but by the time we left around midday it was absolute bedlam! It even took a good quarter of an hour to get out of the car park at the end.

    Oh well, pretty much all of the stuff I bought was home delivered and I was delighted to get the delivery the very next day. (Not bad considering it was a Sunday). I'm all ready now for the big move on Friday!

    Chickens

    Posted: 11-01-2008 10:17:26
    Sue is currently in the #1 slot for the Longest Blog of 2008 award, with an early entry called "Chickens...". Can Al bounce back and steal the prestigious title this year? Only time will tell!

    Pies

    Posted: 11-01-2008 10:04:25
    I fear that I'm repeating myself a bit too much with my blog entries so I'm not going to mention my new flat and/or the buying of furniture. Instead, I'm going to talk about pies.

    The finest pie of all, (in my humble opinion), is meat and potato. The combination of meat, (beef and lamb is best), mixed with chunky potato in a heavenly basket of pastry goodness cannot be beaten.

    Unless, that is, you're after a desert pie, in which case black cherry in a shortbread crust, served warm with double cream, is the daddy.

    Sore Fingers

    Posted: 09-01-2008 13:02:43
    As the boss has just pointed out, I'm going to have very sore fingers by the end of next week. Why? Well, I'm going to Ikea on Saturday to get the furniture for my new batchelor pad. It's mostly going to be flat pack stuff, so it's lucky that I'm handy with a screwdriver!

    Bloody Kids

    Posted: 07-01-2008 13:13:27
    Random thought of the day : Whoever decided that mobile phones should be able to play MP3s through the loudspeaker needs a punch in the face.

    I had the second viewing of my new flat on Saturday to measure up the rooms in preparation of buying my furniture. I took the time on Saturday night to plot all of the rooms into my new PC, (which kicks ass by the way), along with the furniture I want to get to make sure it all fits. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the furniture I need, (double bed, sofa, TV stand, coffee table, computer desk etc.), comes to just over £700 - way under what I was expecting!

    I've also been given the green light on my tenancy application and have a moving in date of the 18th of Jan. It's getting close!

    Merry Weekend!

    Posted: 04-01-2008 17:00:56
    I've been reliably informed that my swanky new PC was delivered this morning so I'll be in geek heaven this weekend, no doubt...

    I've got a second viewing of my flat tomorrow to take measurements of the rooms and take pictures and stuff. The big move is getting close!

    Have a great weekend everyone!

    Happy New Year!

    Posted: 02-01-2008 09:40:33
    I had a great break over Christmas. Plenty of relaxing, eating and, (of course), drinking! Two bits of news-worthy stuff from my Xmas break. Firstly I have ordered a new PC! I got sick and tired of messing around with my buggy desktop PC so bit the bullet and ordered a new kick-ass XPS from Dell. The specs make me happy :

    Processor : Intel Core 2 Quad-Core, 2.40GHz, 8MB, 1066MHz
    Memory : 3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
    Video Card : 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT
    Hard Drive : 1TB Dual Hard Drive (2x500GB, 7200rpm, RAID)
    Floppy Drives : 19-in-1 Bluetooth Media Card Reader
    OS : Windows Vista Home Premium
    Optical : 16x DVD +/- RW Drive
    Sound Card : Integrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital Audio
    The case looks really cool too.

    Second bit of news is that I've finally found my own flat! I went to view a place on the 29th and was so impressed that I signed the tenancy application that afternoon. I should be moving in in a couple of weeks once the paperwork comes through - exciting!

    Whee!

    Posted: 21-12-2007 09:35:38
    It's the last day at Cherry Towers before the big Xmas break! I think that quite a lot of people have finished early as the roads were particularly empty on the way in to work this morning. Either that, or everyone has left their cars at home in anticipation of a boozy afternoon.

    See you all in the new year, have a great Crimbo!

    Xmas Shopping

    Posted: 19-12-2007 13:06:04
    I finished my Crimbo shopping this morning by getting cards, wrapping paper and a little something for my office Secret Santa.

    Here's my, (late), tip for Christmas shopping - go early. Get into town for 9am and it'll still be quiet enough for it not to stress you out - people are lazy!

    Naff All

    Posted: 17-12-2007 14:05:59
    I would blog about what I did over the weekend, but I really did nothing at all! Seriously, no activities whatsoever.

    Instead I'll mention the Xmas party last Friday! It was a great laugh, although getting attacked by the invisible man on the way home was not so much fun. Every year he does it to me! I'll get you next time, my nemesis...

    Christmas is Coming

    Posted: 14-12-2007 09:51:15
    Crimbo is just around the corner once more. I can't quite believe that this year has passed by quite so quickly! There's a festive feeling in the office as we are having our official Xmas lunch / party today; I love Crimbo!

    Xmas Shopping

    Posted: 12-12-2007 11:12:03
    I did all my Christmas shopping this year from the comfort of my work desk, and all in the space of my lunch break hour! I'm quite pleased that I don't have to endure hordes of shopping mentalists this year, that's for sure.

    I still have cards and wrapping paper to buy, but I'm planning on visiting our local 24hr Asda for those items at some ridiculously early hour of the morning, so I can avoid the crowds completely.

    I Almost Forgot!

    Posted: 10-12-2007 12:29:20
    Top Gear last night was one of the most entertaining ever!
    (Apart from Keith Allen - don't like him much).

    Brrrrr!

    Posted: 10-12-2007 12:25:06
    Last night I decided that I needed to cut all my hair off again. Boy, did I pick the wrong night! Today there's a brisk northernly wind blowing and on the walk to work this morning, my head was so cold that it hurt!

    I had a pretty boring weekend, didn't do an awful lot. Spent quite a while cleaning and ironing yesterday I was so bored!

    The Sheds

    Posted: 07-12-2007 15:13:59
    Wow, Shed Seven were bloomin' marvellous last night! The gig was part of the greatest hits tour, so the line-up was a real hit parade of all their best tunes.

    Driving home was a bit of a 'mare though. I was knackered and not thinking straight. As a consequence, I took two wrong turns from what should've been a very easy route, so it took a few mins longer than it should have to get home!

    Not a lot planned for the weekend. I'm seriously tempted to watch the Hatton Vs. Mayweather fight on Sunday, although I don't think I'll be watching it at 4am! The bout is available on Sky Box Office in the day time, so I might just get up late and avoid the TV and radio until I get to see it.

    Moosic

    Posted: 06-12-2007 14:39:13
    I agree with Gavin F, Hard-Fi are indeed a
    bag-o-balls. I saw them live at the Milton Keynes Bowl in '05 when they were supporting Greenday. They were brought in as support at the last minute when another band pulled out. Hardly anyone had heard of them but that didn't stop the lead singer proclaiming that "Greenday could have picked anyone in the World, but they picked us!" Yeah, woot, you still sound as if you're singing through your nose.

    Anyway, I'm going to yet another gig tonight at the excellent Birmingham Academy. This time, I'm going to see Indie pioneers, Shed Seven. I saw them once when at the V Festival and they were very good, so expectations are high!

    QOTSA

    Posted: 05-12-2007 13:02:39
    Queens of the Stoneage gig on Monday night was awesome! I've wanted to see them for years, and the Carling Academy is the perfect venue for such a band. I had a great time :)

    Red Warrior Needs Food, Badly!

    Posted: 03-12-2007 09:57:29
    I had a fairly rubbish weekend thanks to the head cold which decided to develop throughout Friday afternoon. Saturday was spent helping Mel move out of her old house. Dad rented a transit van and we managed to move the whole lot, (including a bed, pergola and a couple of shelving units), in 3 trips which was pretty amazing!

    Was treated to dinner at the Moat House in Tamworth on Saturday night. The service was pretty poor, but I think that's because the place has only been open a couple of weeks and the management are new. The food was good, which is the main thing.

    I spent pretty much all of Sunday lurking indoors alternating between watching DVDs, playing games and moaning about my bout of man-flu.

    Bum

    Posted: 30-11-2007 14:02:49
    I have the sneaking suspicion that I have yet another cold on the way. I've got the sniffles and my throat is a bit sore :( It's as if there is always at least one Cherry with a cold at the moment; it sucks!

    Oh well, looks like I'll have to spend tonight in bed with a large Remy VSOP - great medicine!

    I Like Pies

    Posted: 28-11-2007 12:51:47
    I'm no longer jet-lagged, thank God!
    I WANT ONE OF THESE!

    USA! A-O-K!

    Posted: 26-11-2007 10:25:44
    New York was amazing. Saw so many cool things, ate so much great food. I'm definitely planning on re-visiting the country at some point, although I am glad to be back in jolly old England!

    Start Spreading the Newwwws!

    Posted: 16-11-2007 13:05:38
    I'm going to New York on Monday, have I mentioned? I'm gonna see the sights, eat loads of food, drink loads of booze and take as many photos as I can. See you all in a week!

    Bon Anniversaire!

    Posted: 14-11-2007 10:13:55
    It's the boss' birthday today - happy birthday Ian! Also, I have been with the company a whole year as of yesterday. Hasn't the time flown? It seems like a long, long time ago since I left working in Coventry to start work at Cherry Towers, I must say!

    Busy Weekend

    Posted: 12-11-2007 10:15:12
    Saturday was a really busy one. Went shopping in the morning at The Fort for new togs and stuff for my upcoming holiday in New York. Met friends in town for lunch and a couple of pints in the afternoon, very pleasant it was too. Came home to help Dad and Matt clear the loft of loads of old junk like defunct computer parts and old video game boxes. Among the dusty remnants of our computing past I found This doozy. Vista Pro from 1994?!

    Sunday was spent clearing more junk and what not. Afternoon was spent in Good Hope's A+E after the old man managed to slice his finger open trying to separate frozen crumpets with a carving knife! Luckily the damage wasn't too bad, although he did turn a shocking shade of pale. Only took an hour or so to get seen and patched up too, which was pretty miraculous!

    Bruuum!

    Posted: 09-11-2007 13:04:27
    I drove to work today for the first time. I normally catch the bus, as it's cheaper, easier and less stressful but today I thought I'd give the route a go myself.

    Well, it's a pretty easy route; it only took me 35/40 minutes door-to-door, as opposed to an hour and a half on the bus!

    Weekend plans include shopping, eating and getting prepared for the New York trip - only a week and a bit to go!

    God Bless Charlie Mops!

    Posted: 08-11-2007 13:44:52
    Our night at the brewery was cracking. Pure Gold is highly recommended - the perfect session pint! Getting the train home sucked though. Had to wait 40 minutes for one to arrive then spent the whole 20 minute journey desperately trying not to nod off!

    Old Computers

    Posted: 06-11-2007 14:02:18
    I've just ordered a new wireless media centre keyboard for my home PC. While looking at my order ledger, I noticed an order I placed in Sept. 2001 for new PC components. It just shows how much home computing has advanced over the last 6 years.

    2001 System
    • Processor : AMD Duron 850MHz CPU
    • RAM : 128MB DDR PC2100 266MHz
    • HDD : 16Gb IDE
    • Graphics Card : 32MB TNT2 nVidia 3D/2D AGP

    2007 System
    • Processor : Intel Pentium D 840 3.2Ghz
    • RAM : 1GB DDR2 PC2-5400 667MHz
    • HDD : 750Gb SATA
    • Graphics Card : 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 HDCP PCI-E

    Cold

    Posted: 06-11-2007 10:14:05
    I had a bleeding cold all weekend, which put a dampener on things somewhat. I'm back at work and feeling better now, although my throat is still pretty sore. I have some kick-ass throat lozenges with anaesthetic in them to numb the pain, but like an idiot, I've left them at home :(

    F.B. Update

    Posted: 02-11-2007 10:32:51
    I have now lost 9lbs in total: 4lb this week, 5lb last week. I call my new diet regime the two-step program :

    1) Eat less food.
    2) Don't eat crap.

    Seems to be working!

    Do What?

    Posted: 01-11-2007 09:46:27
    On the way to work today I saw a man in a phone box talking on his mobile phone. True story.

    Grr

    Posted: 31-10-2007 12:36:10
    People who don't signal left-hand turns should be shot for all the times I've waited when I could have gone.

    Michael Balls

    Posted: 30-10-2007 11:53:22
    Shaun's torturing us by playing Michael Ball. He's like the club singer from hell. I'm afraid that if the album does not finish soon, I'm going to start vomiting blood.

    Almost Forgot...

    Posted: 29-10-2007 11:44:44
    I saw Ash at the Academy in Birmingham on Saturday. They were very, very good!

    Idiot Drivers

    Posted: 29-10-2007 10:16:32
    Some tool almost caused me to crash my car on Sunday. I was sat waiting at a roundabout in the middle lane, with one guy in a clapped out old Fiesta on my right. As we pull out onto the roundabout, he decides he's in the wrong lane and just cuts straight in front of me and slows down, causing me to brake heavily.

    The guy behind had to slam his brakes on, cos he was far too close, wheels locking in the process; just missing my back bumper by inches.

    To add insult to injury the dumb bint passenger in the car behind gave a flurry of abuse as they passed, like it was my fault! Pff...

    Restful Nights

    Posted: 26-10-2007 13:03:10
    I had the first really sound sleep in a long time last night. It was tops.

    Tomorrow I shall be getting my dollars for the NY trip and sorting out the train tickets and what-not. Then, it's off to Brum to see Ash live at the Academy - should be good!

    Heeey, Wee Maaaan! GET IN MY BELLY!

    Posted: 25-10-2007 15:54:23
    I've lost 5lbs this week - get in! I'm not even hungry, honest...
    I shall be booking train tickets and getting pounds changed into dollars this weekend in preparation for the big NY trip. It's getting close!

    I Can't Wait!

    Posted: 24-10-2007 17:07:17
    It's now just over 3 weeks until my New York trip. Not like I'm counting or anything...

    Awesomeness

    Posted: 23-10-2007 13:58:28
    How often do we see a concept, product or idea so simple yet so brilliant that we think "Why the hell didn't I think of that?".
    Behold, Diggerland

    I'm Baaaack!

    Posted: 22-10-2007 11:08:40
    I'm back from my holiday feeling refreshed and ready to work. I didn't do an awful lot to be honest, just had a good break. I did take the time yesterday to do some DIY though and added some nice new blinds to my bedroom. And I even managed to get the fitting holes drilled correctly first time, which is a miracle for me!

    Party, Dude!

    Posted: 12-10-2007 10:01:20
    I'm off for a bit of R&R next week, so today is my last day for a while. I hope everyone copes without me! I'm starting my week off by going to a house party tonight and my cousin's 30th birthday party tomorrow. Sunday will be a write-off.

    In other news, I've decided to eat a little more healthily for a while in an attempt to shift my excess weight. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that I've already lost just over 3 pounds in my first week! Damn, no dodgy kebab for me tonight...

    Arthur the Dog

    Posted: 11-10-2007 10:16:57

























    My dog is being a real rascal at the moment. He managed to escape from downstairs at some point in the night and set up camp in the upstairs hallway. Something must have spooked him, causing him to have a barking fit at 5:30am. Grrr...

    I left my room, ready to shoo the little bastard back downstairs but he'd heard my door opening and scampered back down, where he sat in his bed wagging his tail like butter wouldn't melt. Arthur 1, Richard 0.

    Then, just before I left for work, I came from the dining room to the living room to discover the little angel had destroyed a box of Frontline flea and tick drops. Obviously, he loves the ticks that he always manages to pick up on his walks out and about. Arthur 2, Richard 0.

    DRINK!

    Posted: 10-10-2007 13:27:01
    Must have gone private...

    I Like Fun

    Posted: 08-10-2007 13:12:54
    I had a nice weekend, didn't do an awful lot though, to be honest! I went to see Superbad at the cinema on Saturday afternoon. It was pretty good!

    No Plans!

    Posted: 05-10-2007 14:41:46
    I have no plans this weekend whatsoever! Hooray! I'm going to be a complete and utter slob with it. I've looked into my crystal ball and all I could see was beer, games and food.

    I am Ready to Transfer the Monies

    Posted: 04-10-2007 09:47:40
    I saw a report on the news today about how the infamous 419 advance-fee scammers, (mostly from Nigeria), are now targeting people on dating websites.

    On bloke was being interviewed after giving £17,000 to some woman he met on t'internet. It turned out to be a man, who then jogged on with his cash.

    I mean, with all of the press coverage these scammers have had over recent years you must be pretty damn stupid, (or pretty damn desperate), to fall for a 419 scam.

    Holidays and Double Birthdays

    Posted: 01-10-2007 10:49:56
    I've finally booked my trip to New York in November! It was a little bit more expensive than I was hoping for, but then again I haven't had a proper holiday in about 4 years, so it's all good.

    Had a lovely meal on Saturday night to celebrate my Dad's fiancee's sister's birthday. We went to a nice new Italian place in the middle of nowhere. The food was very, very good - I had grilled asparagus in olive oil and balsamic vinegar to start and sea food risotto for main. I was fairly sensible and had a lemon sorbet for desert, although the tiramisu was very tempting! Then it was all back to Nikki's for after-dinner whiskey - great stuff.

    Yesterday was also Mel's birthday, (Dad's fiancee), so a load of us went to The Unicorn, a nice little country pub, for Sunday lunch. Chocolate and Cognac in the evening rounded off the weekend nicely.

    Pranks

    Posted: 27-09-2007 17:45:00
    Gav thought it would be hilarious to stick a rude post-it note on my back earlier. Of course, I had to retaliate later on - childish I know.

    It reminded me of when I used to work on a function room bar years ago while I was at university, as we used to play the same prank on one another. It was all good-hearted banter and the "victim" usually realised as the "KICK ME" sign was being stuck on.

    I remember one night though, when a colleague stuck a sign on a glass collector's back stating "I HAVE NO WILLY" while we were having dinner in the staff room. We all had a chuckle and then promptly forgot about it. After dinner, we were all called back to the bar and the glass collectors went about their business in the function room.

    You guessed it - the glass collector spent a good half hour walking around with the sign still on his back. The function was a swanky black-tie do, with the Mayor of Tamworth in attendance. The boss was not happy.

    Crap Bus Drivers

    Posted: 26-09-2007 13:05:59
    Whoever was driving the 110 from Tamworth to Birmingham this morning was an idiot.

    Just outside of Mile Oak, (about 10 mins into my journey), she managed to stall the engine and then announced to everyone that the bus had "broken down". A couple of people suggested trying to restart the bus, but she was adamant that it was broken down.

    25 minutes later and the engineer turns up with a new bus for us to continue the journey on. As we're getting into our new wheels, imagine my bored surprise as, low and behold, the "broken" engine on the first bus roars into life!

    Later, while we're bombing along the Aston expressway, the driver starts chanting to herself, "not again, please don't break down", even though the bus seemed to be ticking along nicely. I think she was mental or something...

    More Drinking and Eating, the Body Rebels!

    Posted: 24-09-2007 10:27:30
    Sadie's 30th on Saturday seemed to go well, I certainly enjoyed the evening. Things started off a little bit shaky though... I stayed at the Novotel just around the corner from Brindley Place.

    The hotel was pretty good, not bad at all for the money. Thing is, I ordered scallop risotto for my dinner from room service. It didn't agree with me, so at around 8pm I was umming and ahhing over whether I was feeling well enough to go out drinking.

    I'm glad I did venture out, though, 'cos I was feeling alright after a couple of vodka and tonics :)

    Winamp Wars

    Posted: 21-09-2007 15:43:33
    It's Friday and we're all fighting to get our songs on the CleverCherry in-office jukebox playlist. The gloves are off and everyone's fighting dirty. It's all gone wrong.

    If "Go With the Flow" by Queens of the Stoneage is deleted from the playlist one more time, I'm going to cry.

    Filmage

    Posted: 19-09-2007 16:06:00
    There's quite a lot I want to see at the cinema at the moment, but I just don't seem to have the time.

    Stuff wot I want to see:

    Zzz

    Posted: 17-09-2007 12:56:59
    I had another quality weekend. The festival-o-beer and subsequent food was fun on Saturday. Falling asleep at 10pm and then waking up at 3am all twisted was less fun though!

    Went to see the British stage of the Le Mans endurance series yesterday. It was a great day out, but the race did get a little boring after three hours or so. (The main race ran for six hours!). I also managed to sunburn my face as it was cold and windy but sunny with it. I didn't notice my fizzog frying until we were driving home :(

    DRINK!

    Posted: 14-09-2007 11:48:24
    I shall be attending Matt's birthday celebrations tomorrow. How long I manage to keep drinking, (there is the potential for 15 hours worth), we shall see!

    I'm staying the night in a central hotel too, so I don't have to worry about making my way back to Tamworth when it all gets messy!

    Sunday will be a write-off...

    DVD Regions

    Posted: 12-09-2007 13:22:49
    When I last went on a shopping spree one of the items on my list of things to get was Trainspotting on DVD. (Hopefully the fancy-pants director's cut version). For some reason, I couldn't find a copy anywhere. A search online came up with the same conclusion - no one stocks it anymore! Weird. Anyway, I ordered a copy from a foreign source. Well, the DVD came all the way from Australia (!!) which meant that it was set to DVD region number 4.

    My DVD player, (a PHILIPS HTS 3100 home cinema system), will only play region 2, or so I thought until I did a Google search! Simply hold the stop button until the DVD tray opens and press 99990 on the remote and the system becomes automatically region free! Hooray!

    Why bother setting the system to only accept a single region and then allowing anyone who knows the "secret" code to unlock their player? Maybe manufacturers have a legal obligation to lock their players to a certain region. If so, did I break the law? Hmm...

    New York, New Yoooork!

    Posted: 10-09-2007 14:03:41
    I may have mentioned already on this blog that I'm planning a trip to the Big Apple at some point this November. My mate who I'm going with gets this year's university dates this week, so I may be booking this weekend! Hooray!

    Fat

    Posted: 07-09-2007 14:00:15
    I've just had a foot long BMT, (ham, salami and pepperoni), from Subway.

    Tomorrow I'm going for lunch and cocktails in town again and on Sunday I'm going to have a looooong lie in. (Neighbours and/or family permitting).

    This Week I Are Mostly Been Reading

    Posted: 05-09-2007 13:19:37
    I've almost finished reading Gerald's Game by Stephen King. It's a corker. Funny, reading in cars and busses used to make me spew when I was a nipper, but it doesn't anymore. Someone should research the correlation between age and travel sickness.

    Weekend Warrior Pt. 2

    Posted: 03-09-2007 09:46:50
    Well, my lazy-ass weekend plans of doing nothing were rapidly changed! Met up with Mole and Jordan for lunch on Saturday. There was a military parade in Tamworth on Saturday because of the merging of the Mercian Regiment. Prince Charles was there, apparently, so there was quite a large turn out. Couldn't see much from the pub, though...

    We went for cocktails afterwards, which was fun. 3 long island ice teas at half 1 in the afternoon did me in though, so I had to have a little nap when I got home :)

    Yesterday, we went paint balling again! This time was at Bassett's Pole, which was far superior to the one I went to at Redditch. We went with a load of coppers - Staffordshire Vs. West Midlands. (A friend of a friend is in Tamworth fuzz and had some spare places). It was a great laugh, but I'm pretty banged up again today. Got shot point blank three times in the chest by one sadistic git as well as getting shot on the hand AGAIN!

    Hooray!

    Posted: 31-08-2007 13:07:24
    I like lists. This is why I am happy :

    Stephen King

    Posted: 30-08-2007 17:22:05
    Like Sue, I am also currently reading a Stephen King book after getting £50's worth of his novels with my birthday gift vouchers!

    I'm reading "Gerald's Game" at the moment, and very good it is too. It's about a woman who is trapped chained to a bed in the middle of nowhere after a kinky sex session goes wrong. It's pretty disturbing, but then most of Stephen King's works are!

    Bank Holiday

    Posted: 28-08-2007 09:37:40
    My bank holiday was ace. Did some shopping in Brum on Saturday with my mate Mole, again. I managed to spend all of the remaining gift vouchers from my birthday - got £50 worth of Stephen King books from Waterstones and bought a rather nice £25 shirt from M&S.
    Had lunch down at the Oriental place at the Mailbox. (The name escapes me now). The food was nothing special, (although it was cheap for the Mailbox), and the service was pretty dire. I'll stick to Pennyblacks next time I'm eating at the Mailbox. I highly recommend the steak and oyster pie. Mmmm...

    Sunday was lunch at Mel's. Roast beef, all the trimmings and raspberry trifle for pud. (As you can tell I overdid the eating again this weekend). Met my drinking buddies afterwards for a pre-bank holiday drinking sesh, as the weather was nice. Drinking from 3pm is always eventful!

    Monday was a write off...

    Hooray!

    Posted: 24-08-2007 13:38:43
    It's Friday, the sun is shining and I've got a weekend of shopping and drinking ahead of me. Roll on 6pm!

    MS Surface

    Posted: 22-08-2007 17:16:39
    I hate to say it, but Microsoft Surface actually looks pretty cool.

    Fat Weekend

    Posted: 20-08-2007 12:56:12
    I had another weekend of over-indulgence. On Saturday we went to a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. We surprised him by inviting family and friends when he thought it was just going to be the 4 of us. The look on his face was priceless! We sneaked off earlier in the day to decorate the table with baloons and banners and stuff too, which was fun.

    Sunday was lunch around Mel's sister Nikki's house with a couple of their relatives. Can't beat a roast on Sunday and we even had some birthday cake for afters! Happy days...

    In Response

    Posted: 15-08-2007 12:55:12
    Comments on other cherry blogs :

    Burfday Weekend

    Posted: 13-08-2007 09:55:05
    I had an excellent weekend, thanks for asking. I now feel totally bloated and in need of a detox, thanks to all the food and drink consumed.


    Also, we had a bit of good news at home - Dad and his girlfriend Mel, (that's still a bit odd to say), have gotten engaged! Way to go, old man!

    Beery Birthday Bash

    Posted: 09-08-2007 12:44:23
    Seeing as it's my birthday tomorrow, I'm having a beer with my fellow cherries tonight in our local, The Wellington, which is nice.
    Tomorrow night will be my main birthday session, a pub crawl around Lichfield, and on Saturday I'm going for a meal with the family. Bring it on!

    Fancy Motors

    Posted: 08-08-2007 13:10:07
    Newhall Street in the city centre is a great place to spot fancy cars. I saw a Lamborghini Gallardo, two Land Rover Sports and a Maserati Spider on the way home last night.

    Dodgy pints, buying things and medium pimping

    Posted: 06-08-2007 09:53:05
    Started this weekend off in the Wellington with Dave and Gav. Had a really dirty pint of stout, which is unusual for the Wellie. It tasted OK, wasn't off or anything, but it hadn't been settled long enough because it was full of sediment. It looked like a pint of gravy. Ack.

    Went shopping with my mate Mole on Saturday. Got some new CDs and DVDs, the usual fare. On the train down we got to share the carraige vestibule, (was busy so had to stand), with a man who'd just stepped out of a time machine from the 1970s! Well, that's how he looked anyway. He was sporting a white nylon suit, black shirt and a huge silver cross on a chunky chain. To complete the look, he also had on a pair of black cowboy boots with metal-tipped winkle-picker toes! He looked like the world's crappiest pimp. I so wanted to sneak a picture of him on my phone's camera, but it would've been too obvious...

    Weekend

    Posted: 03-08-2007 16:12:27
    Only plans for this weekend involve shopping tomorrow in Brum with my mate Mole and lounging around the house like a bum. I'm looking forward to it already!

    OMG!

    Posted: 02-08-2007 17:28:29
    I found a hidden dialogue box in Internet Explorer!



























    It's August!!11!!

    Posted: 01-08-2007 10:13:23
    Hooray, it's August, one of my favourite months of the year, mainly because it's my birthday on the 10th. It's also my dear old Dad's 60th birthday this August so we'll have to do something special. Also, it actually feels like summer today, as it did yesterday and as it should do for the rest of the week. Life could be much, much worse.

    YES!

    Posted: 30-07-2007 16:24:16
    I just got 100% on the W3Schools SQL Quiz! (It took me 4:19). I'm such a geek...

    Burned!

    Posted: 30-07-2007 13:31:06
    I spent 4 hours in the garden finishing the final book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King on Saturday. Very good the ending was, too. Problem is that I didn't notice just how red and burned my otherwise pasty white legs were getting! I really didn't think I'd get sunburn in the UK this summer, considering how bad the weather's been...

    This Town is Coming Like a Ghost Town

    Posted: 27-07-2007 11:21:11
    Everyone's buggered off today and left me and Gav F on our tod! He's up the other end of the office too, so it's feeling pretty lonely in Geek Corner.
    Weekend weather looks like it's actually going to be sunny, (well, tomorrow at least), so I might be inspired to do something. Or maybe not... Have a good 'un!

    Cool Weekend

    Posted: 24-07-2007 09:38:47
    My weekend was pretty good, despite the rubbish weather. I spent a chunk of Saturday creating my entry for the CleverCherry art competition. It was very therapeutic to spend 3 hours thinking just about painting.
    Sunday I met up with some old work buddies of mine for a curry. Very nice it was too, until I tried to go to sleep after. Acid indigestion from hell kept me awake for a good portion of the night. Grr...

    Oatibix

    Posted: 20-07-2007 15:59:28
    I don't care what anyone says. Mini raisin and choc Oatibix are the daddy.
    I've been working on a top-secret project at Cherry HQ all week and my brain is now starting to feel as if it's turning slowly into Jelly. I will be chilling, (as all the cool kids say), this weekend and doing as little as possible.

    Transformers

    Posted: 19-07-2007 16:31:35
    On the way to work today, I passed a constuction site where some new flats on Newhall St. are going up. Outside was a van with "Robotic Demolition Team" on the side of it. Working on that team must be the coolest job on the planet...

    Arty Farty

    Posted: 17-07-2007 12:04:13
    Dunno what I'm going to paint for my entry into the Clever Cherry art competion, yet. I'm quite looking forward to letting my creative juices flow, though.
    I hate to moan about the weather like a typical Brit, but what the hell is going on?! If weather were a person I'd kick 'em in the nuts.

    Wednesday TV

    Posted: 13-07-2007 16:55:12
    I know it isn't Wednesday, but has anyone noticed how bad UK terrestrial TV is on a Wednesday? It's a conspiracy, I tell you! Anyway, the weekend's almost here. Have fun, you crazy kids.

    The Yorke Arms

    Posted: 12-07-2007 14:41:17
    Our meeting / dinner at the Yorke Arms on Tuesday was really good. Everything about the place was fantastic - location, lodgings, service, food & drink were all 1st class!
    I can honestly say that the food we had on our tasting menu is the finest I have ever eaten. My personal favourite was the Yorkshire Potted Beef & Ham Hock Terrine : stunning.
    The un-dyed smoked kippers & poached egg I had in the morning were fantastic too!

    Back to Work

    Posted: 09-07-2007 12:48:57
    My week off was pretty good. My goal to be a complete slob was well and truly met! I bought a Wii on Monday while shopping in town, a complete impulse buy. It's ace - I'm getting pretty good at the bowling game!
    On Saturday I went paintballing, along with Mark and his better half Sadie. It was fun, but painful. I've been hobbling around looking like someone doing a crap John Wayne impression ever since...

    9 Days of Fun

    Posted: 29-06-2007 14:24:11
    Well, I'm almost finished for the week and then I'm off for a whole nine days! Hooray! Have a great weekend everyone, catch you on the flip-side.

    Pfffff...

    Posted: 28-06-2007 10:33:08
    She. Was. There. For. 23. Days...

    Paintball!

    Posted: 27-06-2007 13:35:50
    I've just booked a paintballing day in Redditch for a week on Saturday. The package was a gift I had for my birthday last year : I'm really looking forward to going Rambo for the day!
    A couple fellow Cherries are coming along, so look out for some inter-office warfare in the coming weeks.

    Damn Neighbours!

    Posted: 25-06-2007 11:13:03
    My next door neighbour is an inconsiderate git. He works nights, and as such feels the need to potter around in his garden, (he likes wood-work), at all sorts of stupid times of the day.
    My bedroom overlooks our gardens, and he manages to wake me up most mornings, which really cheeses me off on the weekends!
    Him and his missus also have a really bad habit of chucking cans into their recycle bins as hard as humanly possible, one after another : CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! This happened this morning at 5:50am! Grrrr - being woken up an hour and 10 minutes before your alarm goes off is horrible. Anyway, they're selling up and moving on, thank God. Knowing my luck the next batch of neighbours will all be drum playing insomniacs...

    Thank Crunchie For Friday!

    Posted: 22-06-2007 13:05:42
    My new CDs and DVD arrived this morning. I've got to say that Ultraglide in Black by The Dirtbombs is an excellent album. Sort of a cross between punk and soul - good stuff.
    I'm having a chilled weekend this week. No plans, I'm just going to be spontaneous and do whatever I please!

    New Moosic

    Posted: 21-06-2007 15:33:34
    Just ordered some new music and a new DVD from Amazon:

    Ultraglide in Black ~ The Dirtbombs


    Resurrection ~ Chimaira


    Crash (Director's Cut)

    That should keep me busy for a couple of hours!

    Ace Weekend

    Posted: 19-06-2007 10:53:49
    Well that was a good weekend. Saturday left the house by 8:30 and had all of my present hunting done by 9:00! Thank God for early opening. Got Dad a rather nice, (and marginally expensive), bottle of 18 year old Glenlivet whiskey for Father's Day. It came in a nice leather box and everything.

    It was my brother Matt's birthday on Sunday, so I got him a digital camera which he was pleased with. We all went out on Saturday night for a Chinese meal at the local restaurant which was very nice indeed

    I Love Friday

    Posted: 15-06-2007 14:25:18
    Fridays are ace, I love them. Plans for this weekend are pretty scant. I've got to go shopping for a birthday present for my bro, and for a Father's Day present for the old man. (Both on Sunday, I love leaving things 'til the last minute).
    Sunday, we're going out for a joint Father's Day / Birthday meal down at the local. Gerrin.
    Have a great weekend everyone!

    Umm...

    Posted: 14-06-2007 10:17:52
    I thought of something really interesting to blog about last night on the bus home. Then I fell asleep and now I can't remember what it was! Rest assured, it would've been amazingly philosophical and/or humorous!

    Download '07

    Posted: 12-06-2007 09:58:24
    Download was fantastic on Sunday! I'm a little bruised from the scrum watching Iron Maiden, but it was well worth it. Run down of bands :

    Chimaira - Excellent, my new-found pick of the festival. I'll be getting some of their stuff soon.

    Papa Roach - Disappointing, to be honest. Played too much new stuff at the start, which is all guff!

    Mastodon - The drums started, I thought "that sounds good". The guitars kick in : "mmm... that doesn't quite fit with the drums". The singer starts and it all goes pear shaped. Think jazz fusion with rock instruments and excessive double bass drums.

    Stone Sour - Really good, must get their second album. Made the kid in front of us start crying. (Who the hell brings a little kid to a festival like download?!).

    Kill Switch Engage - See Mastodon.

    Evanescence - Not really into them, and they're a little light as fore-runners to a headline act like Iron Maiden. Oh, yeah, the lead singer seemed to have a problem catching her breath between song lines, which was a bit odd.

    Iron Maiden - Absolutely legendary. 25 years old and still sounding fresh with not one sign that they're losing it. Great stage act too including a tank, 20 foot Satan and a giant Eddie stomping round with a tommy gun. Rock.

    Download!

    Posted: 08-06-2007 15:35:07
    Going to the Download Festival, (just for the day), on Sunday and I'm really looking looking forward to it!
    I'm driving this time, which should be fun as it'll be my first time on the motorway!
    I'm off on Monday, (recuperating), so I'll see you all next Tuesday.

    Summer in the City

    Posted: 06-06-2007 16:43:28
    It's finally feeling more like Summer round these parts. The last couple of weeks have been pretty damn good, all in all. We even had a barbecue the other night! Lovely.
    I really want a Summer holiday this year as I haven't had one for a couple of years! Hmm, where should I go...

    Mr. Mop

    Posted: 04-06-2007 13:07:31
    Weekend roundup:

    Saturday
    Weather was spanking gorgeous so spent the majority of the day in the garden. Also took the pooch for a long walk along the canal by where I live - Arthur, the dog, loves ducks!

    Sunday
    Cleaned the house, paying special attention to my room which was starting to look decidedly trampish. I was also planning on making a start on my laundry back-log but it just wasn't going to happen after all the cleaning I did!

    You Tube

    Posted: 01-06-2007 11:31:54
    I love You Tube, it's a definitive source of 80's adverts, kids TV and comedy clips. This is my favourite clip of the week : BLAAACK!
    Have a good weekend everyone, mine will be spent doing as little as possible.

    Dog Caps

    Posted: 30-05-2007 17:16:25
    This is the first time I've posted more than twice in one day on my blog, but I just had to share this :

    Dogs in Caps
    Hell yeah!

    80's Adverts

    Posted: 30-05-2007 16:23:22
    20 minutes of pure nostalgia!


    Best Link Ever #1

    Best Link Ever #2

    Cack Weekend

    Posted: 30-05-2007 09:33:03
    My bank holiday weekend was pants. I had a cold the whole time, and the weather was really rubbish too. In fact I've spent the last 4 days alternating between sneezing, coughing and grumbling to myself

    Bank Holiday! Yay! Woo!

    Posted: 25-05-2007 16:15:36
    It's bank holiday again, a time for relaxation and boozing - hooray! I'm not sure what I'm doing with mine; I've got an outlet-mall shopping trip amongst other scant plans, but I've managed to catch the lurgy off Ed so there's a chance I'll spend the whole time feeling like how Jade Goody looks : rough.
    Have a good 'un, dudes!

    Filmage

    Posted: 24-05-2007 13:14:37
    Loads of great films been coming out recently. My current must-see list includes Spiderman 3, 28 Weeks Later and Magicians. I wonder if I can fit all three films into one day...

    AAAADRIAAAAAN!

    Posted: 22-05-2007 14:41:16
    I got Rocky Balboa on DVD last night and I must say I was impressed! While extremely cheesy in bits, it really had depth which I wasn't expecting at all! Well worth a watch.

    It's Alive!

    Posted: 21-05-2007 13:02:13
    Hooray! Finally, my home PC is fixed. Apart from a dash around town looking for thermal compound, the hardware build went without a hitch. Phew!

    Aaaaand, you're back in the room

    Posted: 18-05-2007 13:52:29
    Ben workin reely hard this weak. Mi brain urts so me rest it this weak end.
    Laters, taters, have a great weekend every one!

    *Almost* Fixed

    Posted: 16-05-2007 13:26:10
    Well, my new puter bits came yesterday and all seems well. I started putting all the bits together last night but didn't really have time to complete, so it's semi-assembled on the dining room table at the moment.
    I'm glad that I've gone back to a standard midi-tower and ATX motherboard combination - much much MUCH easier to assemble that the titchy shuttle boards!

    Computer Woes

    Posted: 14-05-2007 13:15:34
    My home PC is still broken. I spent too many hours on Saturday trying to get the damn thing working, which was frustrating, but I did manage to isolate the problem down to the motherboard. The problem is that because it's a shuttle barebones system, it's not easy to replace so I've decided enough is enough and ordered a new motherboard and case for the components I've already got.
    It sucks to have bought a barebones system which I can't use, but hey, at least I'll have a PC which works!

    My Novel

    Posted: 11-05-2007 12:34:09
    I thought I'd steal Sam's idea and do my own blog novel. I've already thought up the story line, and it's a corker! To be honest, I've had the idea knocking around in my head for years but I've not had the ambition to put it down on paper. Here goes!

    The Park. (Sub-Title : The Ice Man Cometh).
    ================================
    Chapter 1
    I went to the park; It was good. I had ice cream; it was nice.

    The End.

    Have a great weekend everyone!

    Wii, Whiskey, Cocktails and My Crap Driving

    Posted: 08-05-2007 10:14:13
    Mark's birthday afternoon in Walsall was a hoot. Cocktails and pool at Revolution was fun, even in spite of the miserable cow who was serving us. Expect pics soon!

    Things I learned this bank holiday weekend :
    • Whiskey is really nice, in moderation.
    • £15 Travel Lodge rooms are a great bargain, as long as you don't mind bartering the actual availability of said room with a guy called "Phil" at midnight.
    • I have to get a Wii - so much fun!
    • I really need to brush up on my driving - if the roads weren't empty on Monday morning, I would've had multiple crashes driving back from Walsall.

    Meat, Whisky, Fishing...

    Posted: 04-05-2007 14:39:10
    'nuff said
    Fisherman's Retreat
    Have a great weekend everyone!

    The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round

    Posted: 02-05-2007 10:10:20
    I have to agree with Sue's latest blog - public transport in this country is pretty awful, and it's not all the fault of the travel companies! I have a car and actually choose to get the bus in, rather than drive - I must be mad.
    She forgot, though, to mention the most annoying thing of all - the Chav quotient of bus and train users who insist on playing MP3s on their mobile phones through the loudspeaker rather than using headphones.
    Once, on a train, I had to sit opposite a chavalance of which three were playing MP3s on their crappy phones at full volume. My request for them to quit it was met with the expected foul language, disrespect and a whole load of phrases which actually meant nothing to me. Oh dear, I must be getting old...

    Blargh!

    Posted: 01-05-2007 14:42:44
















    It took about 30 takes to get this! (Click for bigger pic).

    Lazy Sod

    Posted: 30-04-2007 13:52:50
    I was a lazy swine this weekend - it was great. I took the dog for a long walk on Saturday round Hopwas woods, which he enjoyed, and I managed to get some great pics on my new camera.
    I'm really impressed by the video the camera takes, although I reckon I'm going to need some more SD cards to store it on - 22 minutes of recording on a 1 gig card!

    New Camera

    Posted: 27-04-2007 15:04:37

    I've splashed out and bought myself a new digital camera. (A Casio Exilim EX-Z11 to be precise). My old camera is a bit out-dated to say the least. The improvements are many : The new camera has a rechargable battery, 3x optical zoom and takes SD cards, of which I have many. My old camera took AA batteries, had a 2x digital zoom and toom MMCs which are rather out-dated now.
    I guess I'm going to spend a good portion of tomorrow playing with the new features and taking loads of pics and vids. Have a good weekend everyone!

    SPIDERS!

    Posted: 24-04-2007 14:11:04









    Has anyone noticed how many spiders are around at the moment? Must be the time of year or something. They're everywhere, lurking, waiting to scare you witless.

    Patriotic

    Posted: 23-04-2007 13:59:11
    Happy St. George's Day! I really think that today should be a bank holiday, with carnivals, celebration and beer. Of course, we'd all have to drink traditional English booze like Mead, Ale and Stella Artois.

    Beerage

    Posted: 20-04-2007 16:26:12
    I'm planning on getting sozzled on Guinness tonight. I'll probably be hungover tomorrow, so I've decided to see if I can spend the whole day in bed watching TV and DVDs. I reckon I can make it at least until midday before some pious git makes a comment about my lazyness.

    1 Computer / 2 Users

    Posted: 18-04-2007 13:08:06
    Just found a rather cool application for Linux which allows you to run two independent desktops, (ie. 2 separate users), at the same time on a single computer.
    All you need is a dual-head graphics card and a spare USB keyboard and mouse - the software is free! It's just a shame that no one's managed the equivalent for Windows XP...

    Userful Desktop Multiplier

    Chips From the Chinese = Pain

    Posted: 16-04-2007 11:19:06
    First off I've got to give a big congratulations to Ed and Linz on the birth of their baby boy - Congrats!
    I had a pretty good weekend. Friday night was too good to miss, so I went out for a few beers with the lads. Saturday was a write off as per usual.
    The weather was particularly good yesterday, so I spent most of my afternoon in the garden, reading and teasing the dog with a homemade water gun. Happy days.
    Met up with some old friends yesterday night to celebrate my pal Ben's birthday. I was a good boy and didn't over-do the Guinness, although I made the mistake of getting a bag of chips from the Chinese while stumbling home. The damn things were deceptively cool on the outside but hot as molten lava on the inside - my gob is killing me today!

    Ummm...

    Posted: 13-04-2007 13:51:27
    I've just spent 5 minutes trying in vain to think of something to write about in my blog and couldn't come up with the goods, so that's what I decided to write about. Erm...

    Lush Weekend

    Posted: 11-04-2007 15:15:39
    My Easter weekend was a very relaxing affair. So much so, that I spent pretty much all of Good Friday in the pub! Saturday was a write-off, and Sunday I did family stuff then went for a lovely Sunday roast. £9 for 3 courses - bargain!
    Monday, I went out to buy a new laptop. It was a real bargain, and has Vista Premium thrown in to boot!

    Gimme Chocolate!

    Posted: 05-04-2007 11:07:34
    Easter's right around the corner and I'm looking forward to a (very) long weekend! I'm shopping tomorrow at the Fort with my mate Mole. He's just got a PS3 so I might pop round his after for a butchers. Chances are I'll probably be buying one myself the day after, considering my love of modern gadgetry.
    Friday I'm going to get royally drunk as it's my mate Chris' 30th birthday. Bring it on.
    Sunday I'm doing family junk and then Monday and Tuesday are my own to slob about eating chocolate and pies and drinking Guinness. If I've not put half a stone on by the time we get back to work next week, it'll be a miracle!
    Have a good 'un everyone!

    Mark's Blog

    Posted: 04-04-2007 09:59:10
    I've noticed that Mark's blog is often an angry affair these days. I've decided that whenever Mark rants about something, (usually the exploits of some crap celeb), I'm going to counter his negativity with some positive words of wisdom and/or encouragement. That way, stability will be restored to Cherry Towers and the World will be at peace. Or something.

    Quote for the day : "To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness." - Bertrand Russell

    Drink and Fight

    Posted: 02-04-2007 14:33:32
    Friday night was fun. It was good to catch up with my mate Andy after he got back from 8 weeks travelling. He also let slip that while in New Zealand, he proposed to his girlfriend, Sophie! Great, I love weddings - stag party here I come!

    I Like Beer

    Posted: 30-03-2007 17:29:54
    The working week's almost over once more, and what a busy week it's been! My mates Andy and Sophie are back from an 8 week round-world, (literally), holiday so a few of us are out tonight for beers and holiday stories. They better have bought us all presents!

    Book 'em Danno, murder 1

    Posted: 29-03-2007 15:09:17
    The bus I commute to work on goes past the Queen Elizabeth courthouse in the city centre. This morning there must have been a high profile case or something, because there were coppers armed with MP5 sub-machine guns surrounding the building. The scene certainly woke me up from my morning brain haze!

    300

    Posted: 26-03-2007 13:16:01
    Go see 300 at the cinema, it's awesome. Apart from going to the cinema yesterday, my weekend was pretty pants. I was so bored that I actually did some ironing.

    I Like Sweets

    Posted: 23-03-2007 13:04:47
    My mate's just got his pre-order PS3. I'm so jelous. Aparently everyone who queued up to buy a PS3 at the London launch also got a free 42" HD LCD TV and taxi home, courtesy of Sony! Jammy buggers!
    My weekend plans include drinking Becks beer and eating dirty junk food in rebellion of this year's gym membership.

    No Never, No More!

    Posted: 20-03-2007 17:30:12
    I had a cracking time on Saturday. Went out about 4pm, had a "Mega Mixed Grill" from my local and headed into town for lots of Guinness.
    The White Lion in Tamworth was ace - Irish folk tunes on the jukebox and loads of drunk regulars. Only problem was that they were being stingy with the free-gift vouchers this year so it took ages to get a hat and badge combo.
    What was best about the night is that I woke up on Sunday hangover free. (Must be something to do with sticking to one drink all night).
    Only problem was that come midday I felt like death from cold number 4 of the year. God knows where the hell I've picked this one up from...

    Weekend Warrior

    Posted: 16-03-2007 11:51:10
    I'm out on the razz tomorrow, for St. Patrick's Day with my Guinness drinking pals. None of us are Irish, mind, we just like the black stuff a lot. Yummy.
    I've got to take the car in for an MOT first, though, so I hope that doesn't put a dampener on the day!

    On a completely different tangent, I was just thinking how much I despise My Chemical Romance. I quite liked their debut single, but all of their songs seem to but cut from the same template of whingy lyrics and shouty bits.
    Every time I see the lead singer wailing with a look on his face like he's about to burst into tears, I get the impulse to cull me some emo kids.

    Outlaw

    Posted: 14-03-2007 13:11:40
    Went to see Outlaw at the cinema last night. I'm undecided as to whether it was any good.
    There were some glaring continuity errors, (bits of it were bordering on ridiculous), and the shaky hand-cam style of direction got pretty annoying by the end. That said, it was fairly topical and, hey, Bob Hoskins is in it!
    I guess someone has to give Danny Dyer work...

    Roadworks

    Posted: 13-03-2007 16:59:56
    You can tell it's the end of the tax year - it seems as if every road in the country is currently being dug up. What a ball-ache.

    THE BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE!!!!!

    Posted: 12-03-2007 13:19:54
    Well, actually, it was pretty mediocre. I had a big drinking session planned for Saturday, (I was out by 5pm so was expecting to get steaming), but ended up at my mate's local all night, which was tame to say the least. Everyone was poor so we had a few drinks and a bite to eat, then went back to my mate's house for some cans.
    God knows how, but I still managed to get a hangover on Sunday. I must be getting old...

    Old Women + Busses = Annoying

    Posted: 09-03-2007 10:57:06
    Old biddies love busses.
    Old biddies hate young people using busses.
    Old biddies are always the first to moan about whipper-snappers taking up seats.
    Old biddies always take up two seats, one for them and one for the huge tartan shopping bags pensioners carry everywhere.
    I hate old biddies.

    Oooowwwwww!

    Posted: 08-03-2007 09:57:52
    I've hurt myself at the gym. I must've overdone the weights, because I can't extend my left arm fully. It hurts like buggery!

    GET IN MY BELLY!

    Posted: 06-03-2007 14:42:59
    Did anyone else see "Kill it, Cook it, Eat it" on BBC3 last night? I really didn't see the point in it myself. The tool of a presenter kept harping on about how we need to get "back in touch" with the food we eat and how by seeing the animals we eat killed we'll somehow identify more with it.
    In my opinion, the whole series was born for it's shock value, and that alone. We know that when we're tucking into a side of beef or a nice bit of lamb that some animal lost it's life to feed us on a Sunday afternoon. The notion that seeing an animal die in an abattoir will give us an insight into where our food comes from falls a bit far of the mark, I think.

    Rock and Roll!

    Posted: 05-03-2007 14:41:18
    The Eagles of Death Metal were excellent last Thursday. Probably the best band I've seen live in a good couple of years! Unfortunately, though, I managed to break my specs while barging around at the front of the crowd. It's lucky that I'd booked Friday off work, as I didn't have a replacement pair so had to get myself down Vision Express for some new bins. Lucky I'd just been paid!
    That was most of my Friday wasted, (you can't do much when you can't see), which was a bummer. On Saturday I drove down to the Fort Shopping Centre to waste some more of my earnings with my Dad. Bought some bits and bobs, including an Atari Teenage Riot CD. I rembered liking a couple of tracks years ago, so bought it on the spur of the moment. Erm... yeah... it's different to say the least...

    Weekend's Almost Here!

    Posted: 01-03-2007 13:12:21
    Well it is for me at least, as I'm off work tomorrow! I'm going to see the Eagles of Death Metal tonight at the Carling Academy in Birmingham so am having tomorrow off to recoup. RAWK!

    Pomp it up!

    Posted: 28-02-2007 11:51:32
    Gym went well last night; really getting into it which is cool. Was a bit of a rush effort last night, though, as I went straight from the gym to the cinema to see Hot Fuzz, which was pretty good. It started off a bit slow, but the last 30 minutes or so were genius!
    Been doing some great e-commerce work this month. I've been dabbling in credit card authorisation today and come up with a function which checks whether a credit card number is valid or not. It not only checks the card number's length, but employs the Luhn algorithm to check the number is valid. Which is nice.

    Computer Says "No"

    Posted: 26-02-2007 13:10:38
    The weekend was pretty pants. My home PC is still broken, I didn't go to see Hot Fuzz and I couldn't be doing with a long shopping trip on Saturday. (I got as far as the local retail park, saw the huge queue of traffic just trying to get in and promptly did a u-turn).
    The only thing I managed from my weekend's todo list was getting plastered on Friday night with my pals. In fact, I blame the whole sham that was my weekend on my ability to drink like a fish. A fish that likes Guinness.
    Most of my Saturday was spent whinging about the awful hangover I had and drinking vast amounts of water in an attempt to flush my body of the poison I put in the night before. Oh yeah, I played Crackdown on my 360 a lot over the weekend. Man, that game's addictive!

    Friday

    Posted: 23-02-2007 09:48:13
    Can't believe it's friday again - the weeks really whizz by when you're busy.
    My plans for the weekend include going to see Hot Fuzz at the cinema, a bit more shopping, (oh how I love to spend money), and I might have a spot of dinner out on either Saturday or Sunday night. Oh yeah, I'm planning on a bit of a drinking session tonight too.
    My home PC is bust at the moment, so I might tear my hair out for a couple of hours trying to get it working at some point, also.

    Inducted

    Posted: 21-02-2007 09:42:19
    Gym induction went well. My mate Chris who works there really knows his stuff; he's going to do me a full workout plan for the next time I go, which is cool

    Beeeefcaaaaake!

    Posted: 20-02-2007 13:28:15
    Got my gym induction tonight at 8pm with a friend of mine. It'll be the first time I've been in a gym in over 3 years, so it'll be interesting to see just how unfit I've gotten!

    My Weekend

    Posted: 19-02-2007 15:51:18
    I went to the cinema. It was good. I saw "Hannibal Rising". It was nice.
    Yeah, went to see the new Hannibal Lector film yesterday and was pretty impressed all in all. As usual, there were a few characters and sub-plots missing from the film, although nothing too major was chopped from the book. That said, I was a bit disappointed that the film makers decided not to include the parts of the story where Lector develops his "Memory Palace". The "Memory Palace" of Lector's mind is a pretty interesting theme which runs through all of the books and it would have been good to see the "building" of it portrayed on the big screen; It was a bit of a cop-out on the film maker's part, if you ask me. I'm such a movie nerd :)

    Weekend's a-coming!

    Posted: 16-02-2007 15:57:54
    Mr. Weekend is almost here once more. I'm looking forward to a long lie in at some point, as it's been rather busy here at Cherry Towers this week!
    I've got to brave the hordes this weekend and go shopping for some new sportswear, pending my new gym membership. I'm thinking that I may get up early tomorrow and get myself down to the local shopping park for about 9. People are pretty lazy, as a rule, so it doesn't normally get hair-tearingly busy until about 11 in my neck of the woods.
    Oh, yeah, I'm also planning to go see Hannibal Rising this weekend. My Dad gave me the book for Christmas and it was pretty good. Of course, I've done it the wrong way round by reading the book before seeing the film. Films are never close enough to the book they're adapted from to satisfy!
    Red Dragon, (another of Thomas Harris' books), was really annoying in that respect. At the end of the book, Will Graham, (the main character), is transformed into a disfigured, crippled, bitter person who's life is pretty much ruined by Lector's taunts and injuries inflicted in the course of capturing the "Tooth Fairy". If memory serves me correctly, I'm pretty sure he ends up seperated from his wife and young son, just to really put the boot in.
    At the end of the film, the final scene is Graham sailing out into the sunset, (literally), with family in tow and face intact! All to keep the cinema going public happy... pff...

    Feel the Burn

    Posted: 15-02-2007 11:41:36
    I've finally done what I've been putting off for months and joined my local gym. I've got my induction on Tuesday night with a mate of mine who works there - should be fun :)
    Before I started working at Clevercherry, I always had the excuse of not having enough time for the gym, but now that travelling takes a lot less time and I'm working more sociable hours I really don't have an excuse any more.
    It may shock you to know that my wardrobe doesn't contain much sportswear</sarcasm> so it looks like I'll be shopping for some this weekend!

    Hardcore Coding

    Posted: 12-02-2007 13:12:52
    Been working on some rather large projects at Cherry Towers since the new year. Today, I've plunged into the coding guts of the largest project I've done for the company so far. Today is all about the code - no design work, no layouts, no HTML builds, just PHP coding : lovely.












    IT'S SNOWING! Everyone in!

    Posted: 09-02-2007 11:42:51
    A bit of snow and the whole country appears to grind to a halt! The Met Office have issued a !!SEVERE WEATHER WARNING!! for the whole of the midlands, even though there seems to be about 3 inches of snow at best. I mean, it's not like we're having to battle through huge snow drifts or anything.
    The long and short of it is that I had to work from the relative comfort of home yesterday. Modern technology is a wonderful thing - thanks to Remote Desktop it was like being at work, but at home! I did miss working in an office environment, though - it's pretty hard to banter with yourself!
    Once again, I have absolutely no plans at all for the weekend. The house could do with a bit of a clean here and there, but I may invent something to do and give the housework a quick body-swerve at least until Sunday.

    Hardy Ha Ha

    Posted: 05-02-2007 10:03:49
    Friday night at Jongleurs was pretty good. The first act was a bit poor, but the last two were great.
    Our table "service" was a bit poor though - must've been our waitress' first night or something, as she cocked pretty much everything up!
    I was hideously drunk by the end of the night - remember having a barney with one of my best mates while looking for a cab at the end of the night, although I can't quite recollect what the argument was about...

    Weekend, here I come!

    Posted: 02-02-2007 12:28:07
    Well, another week is almost over. It's amazing how fast time flies in the office when you're busy!
    I'm off to Jongleurs comedy club in Brum tonight with a few of my friends. I've been a couple of times before, it's usually a great night out so I'm really looking forward to it.

    One of those mornings...

    Posted: 01-02-2007 14:52:34
    The Aston Expressway in Brum was completely closed this morning due to an accident. The bus I take to work goes through Erdington, which was totally gridlocked. I didn't get into work today until gone 12pm - over 4 hours after I left the house this morning!
    What's worse is that I finished the book I've been reading by about 8:30 this morning and the battery on my iPod is dead so I was bored rigid pretty much the whole time :(

    Cola-Wars

    Posted: 01-02-2007 14:38:21
    I like Aldi's cola the best

    I Like to Spend Money!

    Posted: 29-01-2007 10:07:22
    Went shopping in Brum this weekend just gone. No one wanted to go along with me so I went alone for a change, allowing me to do some selfish shopping. Got some bits and bobs I've been after for a while, nothing major.
    Yesterday I made an impulse buy of a home cinema system - a Philips HTS3100 to be precise. The audio is much better quality than the system I had before and the 5.1 is awesome. I was also rather pleased to find that it plays DivX as well as DVDs, MP3s, CDs and has a built-in radio!

    Get in my belly!

    Posted: 26-01-2007 11:14:18
    Ed has given me a couple of duck eggs from his local farm shop to sample. I had one fried this morning; it was spanking gorgeous! The eggs are pretty hefty, one being enough for 2 slices of toast, with the yolk-equivalent of two regular hen's eggs. Yummy.
    Talking of food, my new-year's diet isn't going all that well, it seems. To be honest, I haven't been trying that hard but after a quick look at how some of the others at Cherry Towers are doing, (Ed's doing particularly well, the git), I need to up my game for the final weeks! I'm not going to allow myself any more treats after this weekend is over.
    To make matters worse, Matt has bought a bowl-full of sweeties for the office, which happens to sit right next to my desk! Argh, temptation!













    Soooo Cooooold!

    Posted: 24-01-2007 10:03:12
    It's freezing! I had to sit by the door of the bus to work this morning so my toes felt like ice by the time I got to Brum.

    Started watching the new series of 24 last night - looks like a good one. My prophecies for this series:

    - Cloe will be killed by her English boyfriend, (can't remember the character's name), who turns out to be a double-agent. (All English people in US shows are baddies).

    - At some point Jack's daughter will be captured by someone or other; Jack won't give in to the captor's demands, but she'll escape anyway.

    - Jack will be killed at the end. Then you'll realise that it was someone else who you assumed was Jack. Then Jack will die for real.

    - Day 7 will feature a woman in the lead role in an attempt to extend the franchise further. It will be crap.

    New Car!

    Posted: 22-01-2007 09:51:59
    My new car is ace. Considering how much it cost, it's got a ton of features - Electric windows and mirrors, tinted windows, power steering, (oh how I love power steering), central locking, front and side air bags, sun roof, CD player, adjustable steering column. Oh, yeah, and it's blue.

    Journey From Hell

    Posted: 19-01-2007 10:15:03
    Aparently it was a bit windy yesterday or something or nothing. Well, travelling home from Brum to Tamworth last night was a mission and a half!
    First off, the bus didn't turn up. In an act of blind faith, I waited an hour and a half before realisation struck that it probably wasn't ever going to arrive. This in itself is bad but for over an hour of my wait a crazy hag was marching up and down Upper Bull Street shouting about the word of God and how we're all going to Hell etc. etc. etc. By the end I was praying that God would strike the dumb bint mute.
    Anyway, I stomped off to New Street hoping that the trains weren't too badly delayed. They were. I'd had enough by then, so bit the bullet and hailed a taxi.
    At this point I was pretty much done in, so I relaxed in the comfort of Hackney's finest, safe in the knowledge that the cabbie was an all-knowing oracle of the road. When I realised that we were stuck in a tail-back leading to the M6, alarm bells started to ring. I suggested to the cabbie, (through gritted teeth), that we should do a swift one back the way we came and take the A38, which, (thank Jesus-H-Christ-on-a-bike), was completely empty and took me home in less than 20 minutes.
    Phew. Total time of my journey? Well, I left Cherry Towers at roughly 6pm and got home at about 9pm. I'm not bitter towards public transport, honest.

    Jade Goody...

    Posted: 18-01-2007 15:05:07
    ...is the most lovely creature ever to walk the earth. Her grace and beauty are beyond comparison, while her cultured and open-minded attitude to life refreshes my soul.
    PS - Must remember to take my meds.

    Wednesdays Suck

    Posted: 17-01-2007 14:47:05
    Has anyone else noticed how crap TV is on Wednesday night? To combat the boredom, I'm going to the cinema tonight to see Smoking Aces. I've got the feeling it's going to be rubbish, but it can't be as bad as watching the idiot-fest which is "Celebrity" Big Brother.
    That's just reminded me - I was supposed to get cheap Orange Wednesday tickets for tonight but I've completely forgotten to : BUM!

    New Car!

    Posted: 15-01-2007 09:52:30
    I've finally got a new car - a 2 year old Renault Clio. It's blue. Amazingly, the dealership I bought from part-exchanged my '92 Nissan Sunny for £300 - result!













    I like driving in my car

    Posted: 12-01-2007 17:08:05
    Why do people insist on using their fog lights when it's not foggy? All it does is dazzle the poor sod in front of you! I had to get that off my chest.
    I'm attempting to go car shopping again this weekend, this time with a little more realism in my expectations. In short, I'm looking at getting something like a Renault Clio instead of an MX5. Oh well, the dream was sweet while it lasted. One day it shall be mine, oh yes, it shall be mine.

    Pistols to Tour : Official(ish)

    Posted: 11-01-2007 10:39:57
    I've heard on the grapevine that the Sex Pisols are going to tour at some point this year. If it's not a pack of dirty, dirty lies, I'm going to have to see them. In fact, if they do tour this year, I'm going to get a mohawk done for the gig, in honour of their awesomeness!

    Cold-Watch Update

    Posted: 09-01-2007 15:34:04
    I'm feeling a little better this afternoon, thanks for asking. I bought a nice bottle of single malt whiskey last night to cheer myself up - Glenfiddich 18 year old ancient reserve, to be exact.
    The next time you catch a cold and can't sleep, try Uncle Scrivens' Patented Cure for the Common Cold : A Lemsip Instant chased down with two fingers of Glenfiddich - Instant sleep!

    Cold-watch

    Posted: 08-01-2007 16:14:20
    Cold-watch update : I feel poorly. Going to get a bottle of single malt on the way home to kill the bugs inside me. Hmm... I wonder if Ian would object to me bringing in my hip-flask tomorrow...

    Crap Weekend

    Posted: 08-01-2007 10:11:25
    Despite the title to this blog, my weekend actually started pretty well on Friday night with a trip to the local curry house with a few old friends. I sampled the tiger king prawn bhuna, which was spanking.
    On Saturday, I was meant to be picking out a new MX5 from a local dealership. I thought it best to get a couple of insurance quotes first : lucky I did! Two wouldn't even insure me, and a third quoted over £2,500 - ridiculous! Oh well, back to the drawing board...
    On top of all this, I've managed to contract the lurgey, (ie. head cold), which Gav has passed round the office - cheers buddy!

    Diets Suck

    Posted: 05-01-2007 14:25:22
    Seeing as it's Friday I treated myself to a cheese salad baguette and a bag of cheesy doritos instead of the pasta salads I've been having for lunch all week. I'm also going for a curry in town tonight so it looks like I'm giving in to temptation after less than a week! Oh well...
    That said, I'm not going to drink tonight, mainly because I'm going into Nuneaton tomorrow morning to pick out a new car from a local dealer's selection of MX5s. Rock on.

    Pow!

    Posted: 04-01-2007 09:57:07
    Our new guy, Alex, is settling in nicely - I forsee great things for him in the world of Internet geekery.
    Sticking on the subject of geekery, I'm gadget obsessed these days, it seems. I helped a mate of mine pick out a new PC last weekend from, (I thought I'd never say this in my lifetime), PC World. While there, I popped next door to have a look at Currys' wares and noticed that they actually had the new WII console in stock. I was considering buying one before realising that my XBox 360 kicks the WII's ass all over the shop. "More money than sense", as my old gran would have said.
    I'm lucky enough to have one of the XBox 360s which were given to memebers of the official launch team. (I bought it from a mate who works for a company affiliated to Microsoft). It's exactly the same as the standard all-singing all-dancing pack, except bits of it are green instead of grey. Oh, yeah, it's also got a, (very), limited edition face-plate and metal tags. Aprently it's pretty rare. </smugness>

    Bonne Annee!

    Posted: 02-01-2007 15:05:04
    Well, Christmas has been and gone. Doesn't it fly by? My break was nice and relaxing this year, with lots and lots to eat and drink.
    I've started this new year with the same resolution as millions of others - I WILL diet successfully this year. Maybe.
    Actually, I managed to lose 2 stone a couple of years ago, so I know I can do it if I stay away from sweet things. I'm already feeling tempted, though, by the big bowl of Quality Street that's currently sitting next to my desk!

    Jingle Bells

    Posted: 21-12-2006 10:01:36
    Well, we're breaking up for our Christmas break tomorrow - I can't quite believe how fast this year as whizzed by. There have been lows, there have been highs, such is life.
    Here's to 2007 - I think I'll kill 2006 by smothering it in booze and food. God, I love Christmas.

    Brum

    Posted: 20-12-2006 14:27:29
    One thing I've got to get sorted early on in the new year is my car. I'm currently putting about in a '92 Nissan Sunny 1.4 which, (for all the crap jokes I've suffered), has actually been quite a good car. Considering it's age, the fact that it's only done 34k miles is pretty amazing! The mail problem is that it has no power steering and because it's a quite long 5-door model, it's a swine to manouver sometimes : I hate parallel parking it!
    As a replacement, I've got my eye on one of the Mazda MX5s which a local dealer specialises in. I'm particularly taken with one I spotted the other week - 1.6i engine, british racing green with tan leather interior - nice!

    Urp!

    Posted: 18-12-2006 15:45:37
    Well, the Crimbo party was cool. The food was excellent, although the madras was a tad hot for me! One of the dishes was a curried, battered fish which at first I didn't like the look of, but it was spanking gorgeous!
    The only downside was the stinking hangover I had to suffer on Saturday - I barely left my bed until about 1pm and then all I could manage to do was shuffle about, muttering to myself.

    Xmas Do-do-do

    Posted: 15-12-2006 17:10:31
    It's the CleverChery Crimbo party-meal tonight! I'm looking forward to the curry / booze goodness - Rock on!

    It's just a wafer-thin mint

    Posted: 14-12-2006 14:39:35
    I had the fattest meal ever last night, courtesy of Ronald McDonald. (I was knackered and no one in my house had cooked). It consisted of a Mexican McChicken premier, (a chicken burger with nachos on it), crinkle-cut fries, (which were uber-greasy), a mint-choc-chop milkshake AND a McFlurry ice cream.
    I am going to start my diet in the New Year!

    Me lern drive good

    Posted: 12-12-2006 14:41:36
    I don't know why, but Tamworth seems to have the worst drivers in the country. Drove to Nuneaton and back on Saturday to do a bit of Xmas shopping and by the time I got home I was ready to punch someone.
    Half of the cars I encountered couldn't be bothered to use their indicators properly and I was cut up a couple of times at roundabouts.
    My Dad was in the car with me, telling me to "keep calm, don't let it bother you", which just infuriated me further - I think I need some anger management.

    Best (80s) Film Ever!

    Posted: 08-12-2006 16:45:23
    I watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off again the other day. I have to say it's one of the best films to come out of the 80s - If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend it!

    Bah Humbug!

    Posted: 06-12-2006 16:15:35
    I can't quite get my head around the fact that Christmas is only 19 days away and I still haven't done any shopping for pressies!
    I'm planning on getting into town on Saturday by 9am to beat the rush - people are generally pretty lazy so it should still be relatively quiet then... I hope! If that fails, I'll buy what I can't find in the shops from t'internet.

    The World's Best Sarnie

    Posted: 04-12-2006 13:56:16
    I discovered the world's finest sandwich on Saturday night: Peanut butter, mashed banana and damson jam on el-cheapo white bread, toasted in a Breville sandwich maker. Lovely.
    Best served hot, after 4 cans of Stella.

    The Wheels on the Bus...

    Posted: 30-11-2006 12:39:58
    ...go round and round! I've been bussing it to work for most of this week, just to see how the other half lives. I must say, I'm loving the cheap-as-chips prices and the service seems quite reliable, amazingly.
    The only thing that really cheeses me off about catching the bus is that it's normally packed with old biddies taking up two seats with shopping bags, forcing us young whipper-snappers to stand. (Even though they're the first to whinge if they can't get a seat and the local hoodies won't give theirs up).

    Shop 'till You Drop

    Posted: 27-11-2006 15:49:50
    I went to the East Midlands Designer Outlet Village on Saturday to do a bit of shopping. There were a few decent designer stores, but hardly any of them cater for fat blokes like me! That said, I did manage to get a nice new pair of boots and a couple of argyle jumpers for winter.

    Urp

    Posted: 22-11-2006 16:00:02
    Lunch today consisted of a cheese-n-onion pasty, (a-la Greg's), and a packet of smokey bacon crisps. Not very healthy, but damn tasty!

    Geeky Weekend

    Posted: 20-11-2006 14:49:49
    I'd love to have loads to write about this Monday, but I did very little indeed last weekend. I bought Gears of War on Friday for my XBox 360, so that was Friday night out, and nobody seemed to be up for a drink in Saturday so I stayed in - what a sad sack!

    My first week at CleverCherry...

    Posted: 15-11-2006 16:32:22
    ...is being marred by my third, count 'em, third cold of the year. Oh, well, I can't complain really as I'm now getting up a whole hour and a half later than when I was working at my old place. That said, my body is still waking me up at 6am!

    1st Day!

    Posted: 13-11-2006 14:54:40
    Well, my first day is going pretty well. Bit of confusion travelling down, (although I was early rather than late), but I'm sure I'll iron out the finer details!
    Everyone seems pretty cool and it's a great working environment from what I've seen so far. Right, that's enough sucking up to the boss for now! (Joke).

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