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What a difference a fortnight makes

Published March 27, 2006

What a difference a fortnight makes

Because we live in England, and wanted to go out and take some pictures with the new camera, it rained all weekend. But that's okay, instead of moaning about it, we decided to go back to the scene of the crime and get a picture of that damn turtle. This is the new picture. You obviously have to ignore the fact that the water is murky, there's not much I …

In learning, do we lose something?

Published March 23, 2006

In learning, do we lose something?

I've just realised that for the longest time, I haven't had that feeling of suddenly working out the answer to a question. You know what I'm talking about, when you're watching a film and you go "Who's that, what have they been in?" or if you're just having a conversation and realise you don't know the answer to something, but later on, the penny drops. I went through a period …

There are two types of people in society

Published March 20, 2006

There are two types of people in society

Those that read instruction manuals, and those that try everything in their power not to. After the fiasco of the snapping turtle incident (see what I did there? Snapping pictures, snapping turtles? Oh, come on, it's Monday morning!), Mr C decided to go out and buy a new camera. It is the best camera ever. The first thing I did, was take it out the box and root around for …

Malaysia 2006: Driver of the day

Published March 19, 2006

Malaysia 2006: Driver of the day

To be honest, it didn't seem like any of the drivers were on top form and no-one particularly stood out for me. I thought Heidfeld put in a great race, kept his head down and was pootling around in fifth place, until his car gave up and he had to retire. I won a bet with Mr C that Massa would finish in front of Schumacher, despite him protesting that …

Crazy or stupid

Published March 18, 2006

Crazy or stupid

Today, I woke up at 5:30am in the morning to watch the ITV3 coverage of the Malaysia grand prix. This means I am either the best girlfriend in the world, or I am secretly starting to like F1 as much as he does. You decide.

Coming soon... tears and laughter

Published March 16, 2006

Coming soon... tears and laughter

I've decided that Woke Up This Morning needs a lick of paint. I haven't changed my site for about a year and a half. That's a ridiculous amount of time - especially considering I used to chop and change every week before that. I suppose it's a lack of time at the moment, and with so many other projects on the go at once, WUTM has just been taking a …

Technology never stops

Published March 13, 2006

Technology never stops

Last time I went to an aquarium, I mentioned how difficult it is to take a picture of a fish. Firstly, they are behind glass. Secondly, the lighting is usually terrible. Thirdly, these damn fish like to swim around - a lot. And fourthly, I have the worst camera in the history of the world, ever! I took Mr C to such an attraction this weekend, and whilst we got …

Bahrain 2006: Driver of the day

Published March 12, 2006

Bahrain 2006: Driver of the day

A brilliant race to kick off the season with, I was already convinced that there would be four teams vying for the win: McLaren, Ferrari, Renault and Honda. We had our money on Schumacher clinching the first win of the season, but our hopes rested with anyone but. Räikkönen put in a sterling performance, starting last on the grid and storming his way through the pack to end up third. …

The blues just may wash away, if you wait for a rainy day

Published March 9, 2006

The blues just may wash away, if you wait for a rainy day

I was sitting in my car on the way home from the most awful day ever. I was stopped at some traffic lights. The Feeling came on the radio, with the lyrics of the title. Suddenly, the sky got really, really dark. It turned a beautiful blue that I've never seen before and all the clouds merged into one giant dark mess. The sun was shining in from one side, …

Necessary evil

Published March 2, 2006

Necessary evil

This weekend, I was commenting on the fact that shops are soon going to run out of a need for sales staff. Especially in places where they don't actually know anything about what they're selling and merely run the products over the beep. With chip and pin, I have to put my card in the machine, I have to type my number in and I have to take my card …

Now with added cool image

Published February 27, 2006

Now with added cool image

So, it's Must Comment Monday again today. Don't worry, I promise I won't go on about it every single Monday. In fact, this will be the last time I will mention it, okay? Okay. Good. I'm only bringing it up, because I bribed Mr C to make a fabulous button. So, if you agree with the Must Comment Monday thing, you may want to display it on your website and …

To do list

Published February 22, 2006

To do list

My to do list has reached epic proportions, and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. For a long time I just ignored it, hoping that it would go away. But it didn't seem to, it stuck around, and so I went back to it. Thankfully, I've now started to cross things off, which makes the day seem just a little bit brighter. I love crossing things off my list. …

And now to completely change the topic

Published February 21, 2006

And now to completely change the topic

With a couple of spare evenings, I thought I'd get some more writing done. I've not been doing very well of late. There was a brief period when I wrote three chapters in quick succession and then everything came to a halt. I've been struggling with a conversation that two characters have to have to make the story progress onwards. I can't seem to get the mix of dialogue and …

Must Comment Monday

Published February 19, 2006

Must Comment Monday

Okay, you see these things all the time. Photo Friday, Talky Tuesday, Question Saturday. Some of them are genuinely cool things to take part in (Photo Friday being one that I do whenever I can), and some of them are just a way for people to come up with ideas to fill their blogs, because they don't have anything sensible to talk about. I have considered doing some of them, …

An idea, my kingdom for an idea

Published February 16, 2006

An idea, my kingdom for an idea

I wish I had an idea. I've been reading all these blogs from people who had an idea and started their own business and now they work from home and are very busy but having a wonderful time. I'm looking at all these people that self-publish on things like Lulu, and produce all sorts of interesting books and calendars that you would never normally think of, but still sell magnificently …

Now we have it, what shall we do with it?

Published February 11, 2006

Now we have it, what shall we do with it?

Last weekend, whilst watching the few remaining episodes of Baywatch that we had stored, I thought to myself "That's two days of my life, cooped up inside." Although it was brilliant fun and I absolutely adore Baywatch, having done the exact same thing for the previous three weekends as well, I was starting to think maybe there was something else I could be doing with my free time. Now Baywatch …

But I want it now, not later

Published February 10, 2006

But I want it now, not later

Towards the end of December, I ordered something off the internet. I really wanted to support the project, because I'm becoming more and more interested in people self-publishing. Plus I like photographs. The money was taken in early January but I didn't see anything for a month. After emailing to chase it up, I discovered the order had got lost and would have to be redone, meaning another 2-4 week …

Regularly scheduled programming

Published February 6, 2006

Regularly scheduled programming

UKTV Gold have been playing repeats of Baywatch. Man, I love this show. I think I got into it when I saw my brother watching it, but that wouldn't have been until about the seventh or eighth series. We've been watching the first series. It was on every weekday, so I recorded them all up and we've been settling down to watch them at weekends. Five hours of Baywatch certainly …

A scary thought

Published February 3, 2006

A scary thought

I can't remember what it was like before I read and wrote blogs.

Self control

Published February 1, 2006

Self control

Every night I set my alarm for the morning, and at some point during the night I will always add an extra hour to the time. Then when the alarm finally goes off, I know that I have to get up - there is no option. I don't know why I can't seem to get up when I want to. I'm tired, yes, but I'm always tired and this shouldn't …

Don't quit your day job

Published January 30, 2006

Don't quit your day job

I didn't win the lottery. It buoys me somewhat that no one did, however this means I will have to buy another ticket this week and go through the whole process again. For the last three months or so, I've been volunteering to design and update a website for a friend. I've spent days on this website, making the different sections, writing the content from the information I'm given, and …

One in a million chance

Published January 26, 2006

One in a million chance

Last week, I saw that the Euro Millions Lottery had a jackpot of £85 million. This amount of money is beyond my comprehension, but it sounded like fun and I was tempted to buy a ticket. I didn’t. This week, the jackpot rolled over again and is now up to £100 million pounds. This time, I thought a ticket might be worthwhile. So, I bought my ticket, chose my numbers …

Portable

Published January 23, 2006

Portable

As usual, when I proclaim that this weekend we will spend no money at all, we go out and find something to buy. Perhaps one day I will say "You know what? Spend all the money you can," and I will not come home with anything new. (This is not a good idea.) Thankfully, I didn't buy the bulk of it, and merely adopted the toy as my own: A …

The basics of the journey

Published January 16, 2006

The basics of the journey

We went to Autosport International this weekend. Needless to say, I was ready to leave on Saturday morning quite a long time before Mr C had even contemplated packing his bag. The headless chicken phase kicked in and he rushed around looking for shoes and toothpaste and the usual rubbish. He sat in front of the computer and struggled to print off the directions we needed to get from the …

Unlucky

Published January 12, 2006

Unlucky

There's a drain right outside the door at work. Every time I leave the office, I grip my keys very tightly, in case they fall in. Even if they're in my bag, tucked at the bottom, I still have to make sure I hug it close to me - they could jump out and fall in, you never know. Tomorrow is Friday the 13th - unlucky for some. I am …

The greatest invention of all

Published January 8, 2006

The greatest invention of all

Although we do try and insist on no Christmas presents, some people still prefer to buy us some things - my future mother-in-law being the main culprit. Mr C returned home one Friday night with a box full of presents. Oh well. This year, if you ignore the copious amounts of chocolate and wine, there were actually some very useful bits and bobs in there. A mini tripod for the …

Singing with Britney

Published January 2, 2006

Singing with Britney

I was like any other young girl in the world, and wanted to be a famous pop star when I grew up. I would prance around my bedroom, with my hairbrush as my microphone. I would get very excited about finding a karaoke album with up to date pop songs, so that I could really show off how great I was. Problem was, I could never actually sing out loud …

Jools Holland has ruined my year

Published December 31, 2005

Jools Holland has ruined my year

It was kinda a tradition. To sit down and relax with a glass of something strong, a duvet to snuggle under and the remote control. Now I find out this: ...If we're not whooping it up and dodging strangers' saliva in someone's nasty flat as Big Ben bongs, we feel consigned to the socio-economic sector that picks its spots in its anorak in front of Jools Holland's Hootenanny - which …

Resolutions - Five of five

Published December 31, 2005

Resolutions - Five of five

Blogging This is the one that has my attention most at the moment. I've been thinking recently about changing the layout of the blog, and I did a couple of test designs, but they didn't really seem to work. Then I realised, I like how my blog looks at the moment. And once I'd decided not to change it completely, I realised that the scope was there to make it …

Resolutions - Four of five

Published December 31, 2005

Resolutions - Four of five

Learning This is just a short one. I've really decided that despite the fact I'm not even sure this is what I want to do, I really need to start making the effort.

Resolutions - Three of five

Published December 30, 2005

Resolutions - Three of five

Writing I'm always telling myself that I'm a writer, but just lately there has been very little evidence to support that theory. I'm too much of a perfectionist and every time I start to write something, I can't get past the first chapter without thinking it's absolutely useless and quitting right there and then. The new plan is to actually get things written. I've been writing a few things, and …

Resolutions - Two of five

Published December 29, 2005

Resolutions - Two of five

Theatre On my new 2006 calendar, I have marked down everything I want to see, and I am totally prepared to go and see everything I have noted. In one particular week, there are three different things on that I want to see!

Resolutions - One of five

Published December 28, 2005

Resolutions - One of five

Fitness I don't think I have ever felt this uncomfortable in my own skin. Therefore the first of my New Year's Resolutions is definitely to start doing something about this. My usual plan of action would be to stop any kind of food passing my lips for a week or so and then go back to normal. This time, I'm going to do it properly. Cut down on the biscuits, …

Judgement

Published December 22, 2005

Judgement

There’s a particular electronics retail outfit that starts with a PC and ends with a World and has rude staff. I was sent to the World today, and was very happy when I found exactly what I wanted straight away. I took it to the desk, where a man with a ginger beard took it and scanned it. "Is this for business or pleasure?" he guffawed, "need I ask." How …

What have you done with your year?

Published December 14, 2005

What have you done with your year?

I was talking with someone recently about how quickly this year has gone. It seems like only five minutes ago, I was badmouthing Christmas for the first time and no one was listening. The whole year has gone where exactly? I don't know about anybody else, but I don't feel like I've achieved anything this year. Yes, I may have got a certificate up on the wall, but what about …

The new Who

Published December 14, 2005

The new Who

I wasn't the biggest fan of Doctor Who when it came back. I quite enjoyed the first episode, and watched any others if I was near a television at that time on a Saturday night, but I wasn't really bothered if I missed any. Not so, this new series. Starring the delectable David Tennant, you are going to have to kidnap me and keep me locked away in a padded …

What mothers do

Published December 7, 2005

What mothers do

For ages, I've been wanting the new Monopoly Here & Now Limited Edition. Mr C wouldn't let me buy it because he has some kind of 'scarred for life' childhood issues relating to Monopoly. As an act of kindness, he relented and said I could get it. We're going to see my parents over the holiday, and I said I would take it to play with them, and he even …

And now for the news

Published November 22, 2005

And now for the news

Overheard today: "Is it just me or are you completely bored about the whole George Best in hospital saga?" "I haven't really heard that much about it, I don't watch the news." "I mean, honestly, he's back in hospital, he's on a life support machine, he's in a coma. Aren't there any real newsworthy stories to report on?" And that's the thing. There aren't. Not when you have to fill …

How my music tastes have changed

Published November 20, 2005

How my music tastes have changed

I've been looking into buying some more piano music. Every now and again I sit down at my keyboard and bash out some of the standard tunes that I have, but my music is the same it's been for about three years. It's about time I purchased something new, something I really want to play, something to get my teeth into. However, nothing is grabbing me. I've been to the …

Electric avenue

Published November 20, 2005

Electric avenue

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 …

Top ten things I like about my new PVR

Published November 14, 2005

Top ten things I like about my new PVR

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 …

The obsessive compulsive in me

Published November 9, 2005

The obsessive compulsive in me

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 …

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Published November 7, 2005

Who wants to be a millionaire?

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 …

More proof

Published November 4, 2005

More proof

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 …

Get that half term feeling

Published October 26, 2005

Get that half term feeling

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 …

Uh oh

Published October 21, 2005

Uh oh

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.

Overhead in the office

Published October 17, 2005

Overhead in the office

"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.

I know I am biased, but that doesn't mean I am wrong

Published October 17, 2005

I know I am biased, but that doesn't mean I am wrong

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 …