We have purchased a laptop, something Mr C has been talking about and thinking about for way too long now. We looked at one, we walked around a bit, looked at some more, and then went back to the one we first thought of. But either way, I was pretty excited about the new and shininess of it. So, because he would be playing on his new toy for the …

It's new. I like things that are shiny and new. It has a TV guide within it that is actually correct. Our previous Freeview box kept losing the time and would show us a guide for the following day. Not very helpful. Within said TV Guide, you can schedule a recording with one click. It doesn't always work and I've yet to figure out why it is so selective, but …

I think I might need to visit the optician. The obsessive compulsive in me cannot stand the optician. For a start, the optician must sit very close to you to look into your eyes, and it's usually pretty dark. This makes me very uncomfortable. And then there's the matter of all the questions. So many questions, and none of them with a correct answer. "Which colour is brighter, the red …

I have recently finished reading the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? book. It was a memoir from Chris Tarrant about all the contestants that meant something special to him. It made me sick. All those people earning thousands just for answering a couple of questions correctly. Who wouldn't love £500,000 for a half hours work? But if I went on there, you can guarantee the questions would be horrible …

I used to believe in standard education. I thought that it was important to get your GCSE's. They're a standard qualification that everyone can recognise, and are necessary before you even apply for certain jobs. And that is true. Partly. This time last year, I was signed up for Key Skills classes to complete my qualification. I was annoyed. Why should I have to take lessons in numeracy (hello? I'm …

The nights were drawing in closer, and the afternoons never really brightened up, leaving a dull mist over the entire town. But through the dingy weather, a brightness would spring up and make all the locals smile: It was carnival time. The streets were filled with flags, the local brass band was practicing every night, and the fair was setting up on the local rec field. For us kids, it …

I just watched The Hoobs (absolutely rubbish, potato printing is so not what kids these days want to do), and I realised that one of the Hoobs is voiced by the same guy that voices one of the Hyenas in Ministry of Mayhem. I need to get out more.

"So, do you export much out of there?" "Um, not really. I don't think we do export anything really, most of the stuff gets exported inwards." Ha.

Three things I need to admit to before I start this post: I didn't know there was such a thing as the Stirling Prize before we caught the awards on television. We only watched two and a half out of the six entrants I am biased towards all things F1 So, flicking through the channels, we stumbled across Kevin McLoud. I got all excited, thinking a new series of Grand …

I bought a new car. I didn't mean to. It just happened. Mr C: So, which one would you have if you were going to get one? Me: Dunno. I don't need a new car. Mr C: Hypothetically speaking. Me: I don't need a new car. Mr C: Do you like this one? Me: It's okay. Mr C: Let's sit in it. Me: Why? Mr C: Just sit in it …

Have you seen that sketch in Catherine Tate where the woman gets her colleague to guess something, and then gets really annoyed if she gets it straight away? I was reading somewhere about MiG Ayesa finishing in the top three to be the new lead singer of InXs. There was a programme or something, I think. I was quite upset about this because last I heard, MiG was still in …

I'm obsessive about my windscreen wash in my car. I worry constantly that any second now it is going to run out. I fill it up regularly even when I've only used about a teaspoonful. You can imagine my displeasure, when I was driving down a misty, muddy road and thinking I would have to start using up some of the precious water. Then imagine my pleasure, when the car …

You know when you were at school and you used to go to the toilets and find the walls covered in graffiti? You know the sort of thing: "Jenny was ere" and "Paula 4 Mark" circled in a giant heart shape that went wrong at the top and was half scribbled out? You know when you go to a public toilet in a less than posh part of town and …

There's a blog thing doing the rounds, whereby you find your 23rd post, and read the 5th sentence of the 2nd paragraph. You post this to your blog and encourage others to do the same. I was sorely tempted to do this, although I usually try and stay away from the chain games that pop up everywhere. You can end up with nothing but them and I often think that …

Firstly, the Sims Nightlife is not as good as I thought it was going to be. It's alright, adds a little bit of colour to the game, and it's always nice to get new wallpapers and clothes etc, but it's a half-hearted attempt at an expansion pack. The only thing that makes it worth the money is that the Sims now get to own cars, the rest of it I …

Jo Whiley on Radio 1 is starting a campaign to stop people watching television for one week. It's part of her 'I Have Never' slot which is there to get people doing things they would never normally dream of, getting them to engage with other people (I have never given a flower to a stranger), getting them to embrace new things (I have never been to see a band I've …

I'm currently reading Don't Eat This Book by Morgan Spurlock, the guy who made the film Super Size Me. It's basically more of the same, talking about how bad McDonalds is for you, and full of facts that will scare you away from the Golden Arches forever. But apparently Subway are just as bad. If you don't order one of those six healthy sandwiches, and instead order something off the …

Obviously, this isn't set in stone and could change at any moment, considering I haven't seen every single musical under the sun. I haven't included any songs from We Will Rock You, because that would just be called Top Ten Queen songs, and I'd be hard pushed to narrow that down to ten. The Epilogue - Les Miserables Seasons of Love - Rent Had to Be - Heathcliff The Sun …

Two doors down from us, there used to live a big-nosed man and his girlfriend. I don't mean anything horrible by that, but I didn't know his name and he had a big nose. Every morning I would hear them slam the door at 3 minutes to 8 precisely, then I would watch as they exited the building. I would be stood at the sink doing the washing up, and …

We decided to go to Swanage, which was incredibly busy, although there was surprisingly little traffic around, considering. I was a little disappointed that the beaches were so busy, because I wanted to build my sand castle. The last time we were at the beach, I felt like digging but was told that I couldn't build a sandcastle without the proper equipment - a bucket and spade. So, when we …

Extras I really liked this. Lots of people and a hell of a lot of critics have been whining about its similarities to The Office but it not being as funny. I think you have to take this show as it was intended. It's similar to The Office, in that it makes you cringe and the people won't shut up when they really should. But I think that's where the …

I just Love This. It made me laugh so much, I almost spilled my Diet Coke. And yes, I know I shouldn't be drinking Diet Coke at this time of night, but I'm addicted to it. Okay? The Brooklyn tea shop is playing an eclectic mix of ‘80s music. We’ve been there working for an hour or so when “Fame!” comes on, and the cashier turns it up. FAME! I’M …

In order to get my lazy backside off the sofa and doing a bit of exercise, but not wanting to go into the big, bad world of outside, I purchased a fitness DVD. I already own the Hotpants Workout (let me tell you now though, I will never wear hotpants), but I was starting to get bored of it and fancied a change. Enter Angela Griffin and her Dance Mix …

Referred to by some as the Devil's Website, Blog Explosion is a way to generate more traffic to your blog. It's a bit complicated and I'm not good at explaining things but I'll give it a go. Basically, you register your website and then you start surfing others. You have to stay at each blog you visit for 30 seconds and for every two blogs you visit, you get one …

I watched the first three episodes of LOST) on E4 last night, and I just have a couple of questions. Given the acres and acres of ocean that they were flying over, what exactly are the odds of the plane crash landing on the island itself and not in the water? What are the programme makers going to do if the show is infinitely successful but people start leaving? There's …

Ms. Mac - I must place Ms Mac at the head of my list as I actually stole this Top Ten idea from her. Although a lot of Ms Mac's entries are about domestic chores and walking up steep hills, she likes Big Brother, has an ever-changing Boyfriend of the Week and makes me laugh. (Link inactive) Dooce - I started reading Heather's blog a long time ago, before she …

Peering out the window today, I saw sunshine. We were at Land's End by ten o'clock. It was beautiful. Look at the beautiful blue sky. That photo was taken as proof that at least one day was sunny. Our next stop was Lizard Point. We'd done the furthest West and now wanted to do the furthest South, but as we were trundling along through the countryside, Mr C spotted a …

Having got so close and yet so far away from Truro yesterday, I made sure we were up and awake early enough to beat the crowds and get a parking space. After months and months of talking about it, I finally plucked up the courage to shell out a bit of money and get a new phone. It's not the one I dreamed about but it's pretty close. It's a …

Raining today. My indoor activity for a Wednesday was to head to the Cornish Indoor Market. It's the largest indoor market in Britain and boasts stalls of all shapes and sizes selling all manner of things. Mr C likes a good market, so I thought this would be a good place to take him on a rainy Wednesday. Apparently, the entire population of Cornwall had the same idea. We are …

Looked out the window in the morning, grey skies. Oh well. Today we were scheduled to visit the Eden Project, something I'd been keen to see since it was created. Unfortunately, it's not worth the entrance fee. The guidebook, however, is really good value. At £4, it was absolutely bursting with information and I have yet had time to read more than the first few pages. I really like the …

Day One was the only day that I really cared about the weather, although, of course, I was praying for it not to rain for the rest of the week. Day One was a surprise, something I'd been planning for a while, since I was at this particular place last. While Mr C was packing, I popped out to collect some bits and bobs for the journey. He guessed that …

I'm considering doing Blogathon this year. I'm tempted, I really am. The problem is, who's going to sponsor me? As a kid, I loved to do sponsored things. I did 24 hour famines (these were tough at the time cos I was always munching, but nowadays it would be a doddle) and silences and anything else you could think of. I loved having a reason to do something, and the …

Mr C and I had a bit of a barney last night. He's been sorting out the categories on my website, making it possible to stick entries in more than one. So, actually, I think these are tags. But he was adamant that they're the same thing. Category = Tag. Tag = Category. Well, actually, Dictionary.Com says: Category = A specifically defined division in a system of classification; a class. …

According to the introduction of the book that came free with The Times, Number Place is the rough translation of Sudoku. In case you live under a bridge and don't know what this is, it's a square number puzzle involving placing the numbers from 1 to 9 in the correct places. You know that I'm not one for faddy trends that come and go, and I try and stay away …

Last year, the Technophobe and I gossiped at the water cooler about Big Brother. That's right, he knows how to use a television. Actually, we didn't do that because the water cooler is the other side of the office and we sit next to each other anyway, so that would have been silly. We would predict nominations and evictions, gossip about the housemates and bitch about those that were driving …

It's rare that I write about the big things on my blog. It's not very often that I have anything worthwhile to say about something important. Ask me who my favourite pop star is or whether I like cheese and you'll get a ten-page essay, but ask me what I think about the horrors of yesterday, and I don't know what to say. Last night, I just sat and thought …

This DVD Day featured Sideways but I got bored with that halfway through and switched it off. I did rent Ocean's Twelve but had to return the films before I could watch it, so look out for that one in another DVD day soon. The main film I watched this time was Closer and I really liked it. I thought the dialogue was brilliant, witty and smart and it kept …

Seeing that there is fantabulous progress on the new Tomb Raider game. I'm a bit annoyed that they're not carrying on from the previous one, and I'm a bit stunned at how much Lara has changed. I'm all for making the graphics better and making her look more realistic, but you'd think she still needs the same basic bone structure. I'm starting to wonder if this isn't actually an imposter …

First I would like to make it clear that I support the cause. You've seen the wristband, you've seen the banner, you know I do. But I strongly believe that they shouldn't have repeated the Live Aid gigs. First time round was so special (I mean, okay, I was only 1 at the time but I still know there was magic on the stage that day), the it shouldn't and …

I'm disappointed. My television has disappointed me. I've been watching the new series of Cutting It with interest as the writing has been superb and the acting first class. The storyline with Allie finding out she has cancer was done brilliantly. I read an interview with her in a TV guide and she said she was leaving so I said to Mr C "She's definitely dying of the cancer." He …

You may have noticed that I've been missing for a while, but then again, you may not. Either way, I'm back. It all started when Mr C used the computer and it broke. I'm not holding him responsible but it was fine when I was using it the day before... you be the judge. It only took him five hours to fix it which I think is pretty impressive. The …

I mentioned previously that whenever I vote for something, it has the opposite effect than what I'm aiming for, so I'm not voting for anything ever again. Remember that? Well, since I went and sat in front of the television, Andy Murray has gone from two sets up to playing catch up in the fifth set. This is ridiculous. Does that mean I can't watch tennis anymore either because they'll …

If I wanted to see this much sun, I would book a holiday to Spain. Well, first I would get myself a passport, but that is a trifling matter. It's too hot. It's too hot to write much. It's too hot to post any pictures. It's too hot to think up any more words, let alone 101 of them. It's just too hot. In fact, the only thing it's not …

I started trying to do some stuff on my site last night (mostly involving forms and validation and stuff like that), and I got stressed out and gave up. This website is the hardest thing I've ever worked on, and I'm really, really proud of the fact that I haven't given up with it. It's probably the longest project I've ever embarked on and I'm still interested in it and …

The BBC have got information on the new Pay as you go road charges idea. All the reports I've been listening to on the radio and on the tv and reading on websites are all fuming about the prices, and the inconvenience. Environmentalists are worrying that more car users will travel on smaller roads. Commuters are concerned that they'll have to pay more. All excellent points. But I haven't heard …

A raisin dropped in a fresh glass of soda will bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily. (( I don't vouch for the truth of this, but it wouldn't surprise me! )) The first product Motorola developed was a record player for automobiles. At that time the most known player on …

Dear Strictly Dance Fever people, Are you freaking kidding me with this? Sadie and Joseph? No. I know they're brilliant choreographers but Danny and Jodie should have won. Dear Big Brother people, Why kick out dear ol' Mary when you could have kicked out boring Craig? I mean, at least Mary was interesting (if a little too interesting) at times. Craig has done nothing but sit around and bitch about …

You may not hear a lot from me for a while now. Packing up everything we own commences this weekend, the move takes place during the week, and then of course, there is the tedious wait for broadband. How will we survive? I won't be able to check my gossip and Mr C won't be able to check for Formula 1 news. We'll be unbearable. Think cold turkey, think withdrawal …

... Believe me, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, more boring than people wanting to describe their dreams to you ... Trust me on this, it kills relationships stone dead. The day one partner wakes up and starts saying 'It was amazing, there was this rabbit in a bowler hat cooking an omelette...' that's when love dies. Scaramouche, We Will Rock You But, I'm going to anyway. Just in …

After months of bad weather, I actually managed to get a nice, sunny day and one where I didn't have to work. So, I hot-footed it to Marwell Zoo and spent a couple of hours there snapping pictures and looking at the cute animals. There were a million kids there, along with their mothers and the pushchairs. In fact, I'd go so far as to wager a bet that it …