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Any druids reading? Look away now

Published October 17, 2005

Any druids reading? Look away now

I will take any opportunity to drive my new car around, so this weekend I decided to go to Stonehenge. I wasn't as impressed as I should have been. Why is it so impressive that these ancient people had the technology to get the stones into position? They must have gone and forgotten it afterwards because it wasn't passed down from generation to generation. The audioguide said we didn't know …

Is it fast enough so we can fly away?

Published October 3, 2005

Is it fast enough so we can fly away?

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 …

Guessing games

Published October 3, 2005

Guessing games

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 …

Clean windows, free water

Published October 3, 2005

Clean windows, free water

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 …

It's a mystery

Published September 30, 2005

It's a mystery

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 …

If something's worth not doing, it's worth not doing well

Published September 27, 2005

If something's worth not doing, it's worth not doing well

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 …

Two disappointments from Electronic Arts

Published September 21, 2005

Two disappointments from Electronic Arts

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 …

Beware the big grey box

Published September 19, 2005

Beware the big grey box

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 …

Don't eat this post

Published September 16, 2005

Don't eat this post

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 …

Top ten songs from musicals

Published September 16, 2005

Top ten songs from musicals

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 …

Yesterday

Published September 11, 2005

Yesterday

It was one of those days where whatever can go wrong will go wrong. This included me almost tumbling headfirst down a flight of concrete stairs whilst clutching onto a pizza box and a can of coke. The pizza place didn't have half the stuff we wanted, and although we got a refund, it's really just not good enough. But it doesn't matter about any of that, because it was …

Miss you stranger

Published September 2, 2005

Miss you stranger

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 …

The sunniest bank holiday weekend ever

Published August 30, 2005

The sunniest bank holiday weekend ever

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 and Catherine Tate

Published August 26, 2005

Extras and Catherine Tate

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 …

Things that cheer me up #12

Published August 23, 2005

Things that cheer me up #12

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 …

Bootylicious

Published August 23, 2005

Bootylicious

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 …

Blog Explosion

Published August 18, 2005

Blog Explosion

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 …

LOST

Published August 15, 2005

LOST

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 …

Top ten weblogs I am reading at the moment

Published August 13, 2005

Top ten weblogs I am reading at the moment

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 …

Cornwall 2005, day five: In which we are constantly distracted

Published August 4, 2005

Cornwall 2005, day five: In which we are constantly distracted

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 …

Cornwall 2005, day four: In which retail therapy solves everything

Published August 4, 2005

Cornwall 2005, day four: In which retail therapy solves everything

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 …

Cornwall 2005, day three: In which a surfer in a VW camper saves the day

Published August 4, 2005

Cornwall 2005, day three: In which a surfer in a VW camper saves the day

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 …

Cornwall 2005, day two: In which things don't live up to their hype

Published August 4, 2005

Cornwall 2005, day two: In which things don't live up to their hype

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 …

Cornwall 2005, day one: In which we begin our journey

Published August 4, 2005

Cornwall 2005, day one: In which we begin our journey

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 …

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris

Published July 31, 2005

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris

I love that the village he has gone to is the same one that featured in Chocolat, with some of the same supporting characters and locations. Vianne Rocher has long gone, though. Oh, and Clopette is the best name ever. Okay, it's for a goat, but still. What I have yet to mention is that the story is told from the perspective of a bottle of wine, which sounds crazy. As the story progresses, you forget who is telling the tale, though, and it just becomes another third person novel. Harris excels, as she always does, with her descriptions. I could feel the heat of summer and taste the scent of berries on the air. I preferred Chocolat, but this is a great sort of sequel.

Sponsored stuff

Published July 19, 2005

Sponsored stuff

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 …

Categories vs. tags

Published July 19, 2005

Categories vs. tags

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. …

Number place

Published July 16, 2005

Number place

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 …

Big Brother brush-off

Published July 12, 2005

Big Brother brush-off

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 …

After the event

Published July 8, 2005

After the event

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 …

DVD Day #10

Published July 4, 2005

DVD Day #10

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 …

Things that cheer me up #10

Published July 4, 2005

Things that cheer me up #10

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 …

Live 8

Published July 4, 2005

Live 8

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 …

Too chicken to see it through

Published July 4, 2005

Too chicken to see it through

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 …

Another prolonged absence

Published July 4, 2005

Another prolonged absence

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 …

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Published June 30, 2005

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

There's something genius about the book, and I really enjoyed reading it, but I'm afraid it went a little over my head. I never really got the connection between the stories. We worked our way through to the middle and then back through the same characters until we were back where we started, and I was none the wiser. I didn't end the book feeling like I'd gone on a journey with a character and we had resolved whatever problem arose during our time together. I was left feeling a bit bemused.

The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver

Published June 29, 2005

The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver

As you would expect in a Jeffrey Deaver novel, there are plenty of twists and turns, especially towards the end, and it's never as simple as it seems. I'm used to reading Lincoln Rhyme books, but no matter who the protagonist is, they are a) not going to have an easy time of it and b) going to make a great story as they work to catch the killer.

Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro

Published June 28, 2005

Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro

Flipping between the present day and the past, it's sometimes hard to keep up with where you are. Although there are clues if you look hard enough, and the writing is smooth and clever so it makes you feel proud when you do keep up. I like the dialogue, just enough to make the pages turn easily, but not so much it seems like a script. It seems like a sophisticated book but without the strength of character, it ends up being a bit self-help.

I can't watch

Published June 25, 2005

I can't watch

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 …

Estoy muy caliente

Published June 23, 2005

Estoy muy caliente

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'm all out of faith, this is how I feel

Published June 9, 2005

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel

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 …

Something to think about

Published June 9, 2005

Something to think about

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 …

Did you know...? #2

Published June 9, 2005

Did you know...? #2

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 …

I've fallen out with my TV

Published June 4, 2005

I've fallen out with my TV

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 …

Popcorn by Ben Elton

Published May 31, 2005

Popcorn by Ben Elton

There's something about Elton's writing that I find really grating. It's supposed to be satirical, a poke of fun at the Hollywood industry, but there's something about it that comes across a little snobbish, a little egotistical. That being said, it was funny to read, but I think a lot of the more snide comments passed me by because I just didn't want to take them on board.