Beware the Ninja Badgers

What the?

2011-06-09T14:27:00.003+01:00

After 15 minutes of requesting a password, I'm back in!

I thought I'd better get back to blogging. I'll be concentrating on film 'n' stuff as I go to the cinema a bazillion times in a year and if I'm imparting my wisdom it won't feel as if I'm wasting my time.

2010-02-26T13:35:00.002Z

Thought I'd post this.....

I've finally managed to remember my password!

I'll be having a tidy and aim to be back by the middle of March.

xx

2008-11-04T08:44:00.001Z

Today I learnt that it's always too early to hear Christmas related music and it's virtually impossible to brush your teeth while hiccuping.

That is all.

2008-11-02T23:15:00.007Z

Yikes.....has it really been this long?

Did I really leave it in this mess?

I've forgotten what typeface I use.....oh and my password (got there eventually though!)

So....why come back......well tomorrow is my first day at my new job....still at the same place but working on something different.

But.....and there always is a but......it's not going to be all it's cracked up to be....in fact it could very well force me to reconsider what I do.......and make me look elsewhere.

So I've decided to blog about my journey to elsewhere.

And it all starts tomorrow.

2008-01-24T21:59:00.000Z

I'll be adding this to the sidebar shortly.....once I remember how to do it......*sigh*

2007-11-03T21:06:00.000Z

Finally! Someone who gets it!

(the article originally appeared here )

Following the bust of the OiNK BitTorrent tracker, most of its 180,000 members are keeping their heads down and trying to stay inconspicuous. However, Trent Reznor, frontman of Nine Inch Nails isn’t worried: “I had an account there” he said. “it was like the world’s greatest record store.”

The driving force behind the Nine Inch Nails isn’t frightened of talking about file-sharing. Back in May 2007 he admitted to sharing himself: “I steal music too, I’m not gonna say I don’t” he said.

Now Trent has gone public and admitted where he did a lot of sharing - OiNK.

In an interview with New York Entertainment he sent his clearest pro-sharing stance yet. When asked what he thought about OiNK being shutdown, he had this to say:

“I’ll admit I had an account there and frequented it quite often. At the end of the day, what made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world’s greatest record store. Pretty much anything you could ever imagine, it was there, and it was there in the format you wanted.”

Everyone knows that OiNK was free to use and this fact was backed up by Trent: “If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn’t the equivalent of that in the retail space right now.”

Leveling criticism at professionals who are failing to make a better job of music distribution than OiNK and failing to create a brand which people like to be associated with, Trent explained: “iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don’t feel cool when I go there. I’m tired of seeing John Mayer’s face pop up. I feel like I’m being hustled when I visit there, and I don’t think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc.”

Trent says he prefers Amazon to iTunes but says none of them address the issue of pre-release leaks, calling it a ‘difficult puzzle’. “If your favorite band in the world has a leaked record out, do you listen to it or do you not listen to it?”

The quality uploaders at OiNK get a mention too: “People on those boards, they’re grateful for the person that uploaded it — they’re the hero. They’re not stealing it because they’re going to make money off of it; they’re stealing it because they love the band.”

Underlining the fact that sometimes people pirate because they aren’t getting what they want from the music labels, Trent finishes up: “I’m not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want.”

And what people seem to want is OiNK replacement sites - and that’s what they seem to be getting.

Need any invites Trent?

2007-09-10T22:21:00.000+01:00

Serves me right for forgetting my password.

It's been a long time, I know. I very much doubt that you have missed me. I didn't really write about much but that will change. Not sure how yet.....you'll have to bear with me.

So what has happened since my last post......well in a nutshell....

- I had my heart broken yesterday, it's a long story, I may well post it as it might help straighten a few things out in my head.

- I fly out to LA again on Sunday.

- I've managed to watch lots of pre-air telly, The Bionic Woman, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Chuck and Life to name but a few. Reviews of them will appear ...... when I get round to writing them.

- I still dislike my job immensely.

- I've changed the colour of the blog as black is a little too depressing.....and I don't need any help in being depressed...ta very muchly.

- I still haven't fixed the clutch/gearbox on my car. That is because I am a lazy arse.

- I've started going to more live football matches.

- I lost my cinema card. I was very upset but I have a new one now.

That's all I can muster for now..........

2007-07-10T17:14:00.000+01:00

The highlight of my day today was returning home and deciding that I was going to have sauteed potatoes for tea.

I live a life of excitement. Wahoo!

Die Hard 4.0 sucks enormously. It really has jumped the shark. You'll also spend lots of time wondering why Bruce Willis' earlobes are so massive. I did. It's what happens to people when they get old and go deaf.

2007-07-01T17:37:00.000+01:00

Saves me typing - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/29/more_fear_biscuits_please/

2007-06-24T22:32:00.000+01:00

To dull the pain of Thierry Henry leaving the mighty Arsenal, I finally got round to scanning in some pictures. Trust me, I am more surprised than you are. Here's a sample......you can find more here

Thanks to IMDB for letting me know that there are copies of Michael Moore's new documentary 'Sicko' available to download from the internet. A 2 minute search and 2hrs 30mins downloading time later I was watching it. I'll blog my thoughts tomorrow once I've had a think first.

2007-06-04T11:00:00.000+01:00

The Wire is my new favouratist programme on the tellybox. It's fantastic, well written and acted. It reminds me a little Homicide Life on the Street which was also set in Baltimore. I bought what I thought was the first season from Play.com........however I'd stupidly bought season 2. After a momentary panic......and a wait of 16 hours....I *cough* sourced season 1......which I spent most of the weekend watching.

I am currently watching Season 2 whilst downloading Season 3. Naughty I know but I have to watch something.......otherwise I'll end up watching Big Brother and getting cross.

2007-06-04T10:50:00.000+01:00

I have no excuses. I haven't been busy. I've been rather boring and not done much, well nothing that I'd blog about.

I'm trying to give up smoking.....it's not going very well. I've had 4 already today......I'll have to start all over again tomorrow.

Need a creative project to engage my brain for a bit......too much procrasination, not enough getting thoughts down on paper!

2007-05-09T18:34:00.000+01:00

I really should post more often, I just find that I don't have the time or I think of something and then talk myself out of it.

I am planning a career change. I am soooooooooo past caring in my current job that it isn't ironic anymore. It's a shame as some people would chop of their right arm to be in my position but why continue if your heart isn't in it?

2007-04-30T15:21:00.000+01:00

There is a God.......

and he (or she) smiled as Alan Lee headed the ball in the back of the net with only 2 minutes to go.

A big thank you to the Tractor Boys for, not only relegating the dirty scummers, but also making sure that the Mighty Tigers are playing Championship football again next season.

I will post about my holiday eventually.....honest.

2007-04-17T18:57:00.000+01:00

Made it back from Dad's yesterday. At the moment I feel like I have a hangover but without the headache......kind of fuzzy. I have no attention span and have a habit of zoning out, should make returning to work tomorrow quite interesting.

Pictures and blog entries about my trip will follow soonish.

2007-04-10T04:30:00.000+01:00

Just got back from watching Craig Ferguson record his Late Late Show. I think I quite fancy him.......

2007-04-09T01:38:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd better post....as I'm on holiday I can't quite be arsed to blog. However I have been keeping a written diary which I'll type up when I get home. Topics covered include....

- Why is American telly crap?
- Will Heather Mills McCartney's leg fall off during Dancing With Stars
- News in America keeps people stupid
- Why American's can't drive
- Ripoff Britain
- A review of Grindhouse
- Why dollar stores rock

The weather so far has been poo.......overcast until 2pm, then the sun burns through, means I've only shot 3 rolls of film so far which is a little poor.

Off to CBS tomorrow to watch the taping of a talkshow. Thankfully it's not tuesday....otherwise Quentin Tarantino would be dodging rotten eggs.

2007-04-03T01:45:00.001+01:00

Finally made it to Dad's at 12.45pm on Sunday night, nearly 5 hours late. By the time when got all the luggage in the house and unpacked we'd been awake for nearly 24 hours.

The delay was caused by a combination of things....

- the plane being 2 hours late in Heathrow
- us arriving at LAX and the ground crew not expecting us or willing to take the bags off
- an 1hr and 30 min wait to get through immigration - our timing was bad, flights from Mexico, Thailand and Hong Kong arrived before us making the queues long and slow as everyone was given the third degree (makes me laugh that there are signs everywhere that say that they treat everyone with respect......I suggest the sign writers spend some time there!)
- the 405 being the world's largest car park at midnight on a Sunday. 6 lanes of traffic jam packed and not moving.....all because a car broke down.

We decided to take things easy today. We went to the shops. I broke the only rule that I set myself (no buying DVD's) when I found a copy of THX 1138 for $4.99 (2.50 in proper money).

I am hoping to get togging tomorrow, it'll be less hazy and hopefully there'll be more definition in the clouds so I can crack open the newly relaunched Ilford SFX 200 film.

2007-03-30T20:13:00.000+01:00

I'm off on my jollidays on Sunday. I'm half packed at the moment.....at least I know where our tickets and passports are :)

So far my sister and I have packed......

2 bottles of brown sauce

2 bottles of salad cream

2 jars of piccalli

2 jars of branston pickle

280 PG tips tea bags

25 packets of angel delight

2 packets of instant custard

10 packets of sugar free jelly

4 tubs of chicken gravy

4 tubs of beef gravy

1 litre of Robinson's Special R Orange and Pineapple

2 litres of Robinson's Special R Orange

1 litre of Robinson's Special R Summer Fruits

and 60...yes...60 packets of Walker's Crisps.

All to make an old man happy.

2007-03-25T21:31:00.000+01:00

The weekend on a bit of a low note. I didn't get the job.......and the one thing that I thought was going to happen after that, didn't. Needless to say there is a 'carrot' but I really can't be arsed for the 'stick' part.

Anyway, a close friend came up from Newcastle for the weekend. Had a lovely time (I don't think we've ever had a bad time together). Took him to the Deep (Ooooo fishes) and stupidly watched the footy. I baked and we stuffed ourselves silly. All in all a good weekend was had.......

However.....I have to go to work tomorrow :( I don't want to at all. I feel creatively stifled and undervalued.

On the upside,I fly out to see my Dad on Sunday.......which is good as I need some time to think and reflect and take some pictures!

Bit of a depressing post......but i'll get over it.....hopefully.

2007-03-23T07:54:00.000Z

I really hate job interviews where you still don't know the outcome 3 days later.

Doesn't bode well does it?

2007-03-20T22:27:00.000Z

I hate job interviews.

2007-03-18T21:00:00.000Z

All I have done this weekend is watch Rugby and Football.

I'll blog something interesting when/if it happens.

2007-03-15T08:41:00.000Z

Every morning a lady rings into my place of work.

We call her 'Random Trivia Woman'. She asks us random trivia questions, hence her name.

Today's question was 'Who plays Deidrie Barlow on Coronation Street?'

2007-03-11T10:24:00.000Z

I see that David Cameron is due to unveil another ill advised plan tomorrow. I get the feeling that he really doesn't want to be elected as PM.

What on earth makes him think that his plan to give people a 'green air allowance' will work?

In September of last year I bought 3 tickets to Los Angeles. The tickets cost me £400 each (not bad for flying during Easter). The actual ticket price was £240. The cost of all the security taxes, green taxes etc was £140, oh and then Gordon Brown put up air passenger duty so that was another £60. It's now becoming a big cost to cover but if we don't do it, we wouldn't get to see my Dad again.

If you save hard and want to visit other places on the planet and escape this hell-hole, why are we being penalised? The thing I don't understand is that the money raised via the 'green tax', should go back into green inititatives, right?......oh no....that's right....it'll go to reduce tax for 'families'. With the combination of this hairbrained scheme and Labours toll road plans, I get the feeling that politicians want us to all stay at home!

No matter what we do to reduce our own carbon footprint, if other countries like the USA and China don't take the issue seriously then our efforts will be futile.

Right I am off to here to offset the C02 from my flights.

2007-03-09T19:03:00.000Z

Today I found out that it's entirely possible to sleep for 13 hours and 2 hours after waking up find myself napping again.

Am also proper arsed off as I was supposed to be at a meeting about an exciting new project at 1pm (incl free coffee) but instead I was asleep. Grrr.

Lets hope tomorrow is more productive.........zzzzzz

2007-03-08T12:30:00.000Z

*cough, sneeze, cough* pass me a tissue.

I'm off work, I struggled through 2 days and I got the feeling that some of my colleagues didn't want me to come in again and share my germs. Which is good as I spent most of the night coughing up gunk, ick!

So i am currently reading, planning and sorting. I have realised how disorganised I have become which is very unlike me.

24 days until holiday. Wahoo!

2007-02-26T11:18:00.000Z

(Photo - Michael Caulfield - (c) WireImage)

Need I say more?

Other than I maybe should have had a bet.......

2007-02-25T21:18:00.000Z

So it's Oscar time.....I would 'live blog' but I have to get up for work at 5am.....grrrrrr.

Here are my predictions......

Actor - Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.
Actress - Helen Mirren in The Queen (should be Judi Dench though!!)
Actor in a Supporting Role - Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.
Actress in a Supporting Role - Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls (but Abigail Breslin should win!).

Adapted screenplay - Patrick Marber for Notes on a Scandal.

Best Picture - a wide open field this year....it's a toss up between Babel and Little Miss Sunshine. For me....Little Miss Sunshine....I loved the film. I found Babel too 'worthy'.

and finally.....

Best Director - Martin Scorsese for the Departed. Come on! He lost in 1980 to Robert Redford and in 1990 to Kevin Costner for fucks sake. The Departed may not be his best film but there are still flashes of genius there......come on....you know it makes sense!

I wonder how many I'll get right......

2007-02-22T06:51:00.000Z

As it is Lent, I have stupidly agreed to, in a rather public manner too, give up chocolate for 40 days (actually it is 46 as Sundays are not counted).

So, you can imagine my horror when I found 'rogue' Creme Egg in my room last night. I tried hiding it, unsuccessfully in my sock drawer, wardrobe and in a shoe. However, even when hidden from view it still taunted me......

At 3.30 this morning I found myself crushing the egg between to sheets of paper and throwing it in the bin. I woke up again at 3.42am and had a serious think about taking the crushed up mush and eating it.

This was all after only 24 hours of no chocolate. 45 days to go.......

2007-02-18T16:42:00.000Z

Yesterday I went to the shops and bought.........

I am currently rather poor......but very very happy (and more mobile!!!)

2007-02-15T07:07:00.000Z

Caught the end of the Brits last night....didn't watch the whole thing as there was something far more important happening on BBC 1 (missing 2 penalties too!).

Anyway.....is it me or did Liam Gallagher, whilst singing Cigarettes and Alcohol, sound just like Frank Sidebottom?

2007-02-11T20:20:00.000Z

Back from my travels and quite frankly I am depressed.

Back to work tomorrow and I don't think I can face it. I could very well be out of a job in 6 weeks time and I am not sure what I am going to do.

I am hoping it will pass and that I avoid disappearing up my own arse as I did 18 months ago. Trouble is, i feel the same as I did, tearful, panicking, feeling of dread, that I am not good enough, feeling trapped....and the one I really find difficult to handle....feeling alone.

2007-02-04T23:00:00.000Z

Am off to the big smoke tomorrow......for a Dave Gorman-esque meeting with my namesake (it's a very long story....I may tell it some time).

I'll also be going to the National Portrait Gallery, The V & A to see a Kylie exhibition and seeing if I can get tickets to this.

On Friday, I'm off to the 'toon for cake and a trip to the Arboreum in Durham.

I think I'm going to like not being at work :)

2007-02-01T22:56:00.000Z

If you have a spare £6 this weekend, go and see 'Notes on a Scandal'. It's a fine film, bloody well written and Judi Dench gives a performance of evil twisted genius.

For some reason I downloaded Lame....sorry....Limewire, it was more out of curiosity as a number of people have described it as the 'saviour of the internet'. No....it's basically KaZaA.

Anyway, it was all because I had an earworm, 'Dragging Me Down' by the Inspiral Carpets, been humming it all day. I couldn't find it from my usual *cough* sources so gave Limewire a whirl.

I ended up taking a trip down memory lane....no sooner had I listened to the Carpets, I was listening to Hippy Chick by Soho, Hear the Drummer Get Wicked by Chad Jackson, Don't Be Cruel by Bobby Brown, Wash Your Face In My Sink by the Dream Warriors, Pink Sunshine by Fuzzbox and Requiem by the London Boys.......ah my teenage years. My god the music was crap.

2007-01-31T20:38:00.000Z

Oh dear......time to man the barracades....

http://www.nuj.org.uk/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6314701.stm

2007-01-29T21:19:00.000Z

At 9.04pm.....a miracle happened.

The internet hamsters came back from lunch and made the interweb work again.

Thank you very much Mr Hamsters, I am now the proud owner of 2 tickets to see Pearl Jam at Wembley Arena on June the 18th.

2007-01-29T19:58:00.000Z

3 hours and 2 minutes.......no tickets.....still.....

Ferkin' interweb.

2007-01-29T18:19:00.000Z

It is turning into a saga.......

After trying for 1hr and 18 minutes I am still ticketless.

3 times I have managed to get the sodding tickets in my basket........and each time the secure server has died and not taken payment.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr *kicks bin*.

2007-01-26T21:10:00.000Z

Stuff getting cross about 'Jesus Camp'.....it's time to get excited. Pearl Jam are on tour again this year and will be in London on June the 18th.

It's a fan club only gig at Wembley Arena.

Bloody good luck I'm in the fan club then! Hurrah and huzzar :)

2007-01-26T20:33:00.000Z

I am currently watching one of the most scariest things I have ever seen.........no it's not The Hills Have Eyes or The Last House on the Left.

The most horrific film ever made is this......

It's a documentary called 'Jesus Camp'. It's about a summer camp aimed at training children to be evangelists. In fact in the first few minutes the children are asked to 'save their lost friends'.

I have been watching it for 8 minutes and was so cross that I had to take a screen grab and blog about it.

Let hope I calm down for the rest of it!

2007-01-22T21:22:00.000Z

In a fit of stupidity, not only have I managed to dev and scan in the film I took yesterday of a visit to Louth but I'm actually managing to blog.......hurrah!

It's only 'cos I'm a member of the newly formed 'Hull Bloggers' which is rather cool. We should have a blog meet.....but that could be quite scary.

Anyway, here is one of my new pictures........

You can see the rest here if you fancy.

Celebrity-itis

2007-01-05T20:51:00.000Z

So I switch on my telly at 8.30pm this evening to find that on 3 of the 5 terrestrial channels are showing 'celebrity' based programmes.

BBC1 - Just the Two of Us - 'celebrities' paired with has-been singers who murder, sorry, duet together on well known songs, eventually voted off by the public.

ITV - Soapstar Superstar - Current and Former soapstars sing and are voted off by the public.
CH4 - Celebrity Big Brother - they live in a house, being 'normal', the public watch and vote them out.

Excuse me.....but what the FUCK is going on?

No, I do not wish to listen to/see over-the-hill celebrities singing songs, going to the toilet, singing more bloody songs, chopping carrots, bitching and moaning.

I would like proper programmes, ones with actors in (who don't feel the need to sing or complain about being famous), a well written drama or a documentary, something to make you think.

I would like to vote off all the 'celebrities' involved in the three shows, the production companies that make them and the moronic press who give them far too much publicity.......and throw them into a big pit filled with petrol and light a match.......and laugh as they all burn in hell.....

Or I could switch my telly off and read a book instead.

Live Celebrity Big Brother Blogging

2007-01-03T20:05:00.000Z

This is the uncorrected version....if there are spelling errors, I do apologise.

Celebrity BB starts tonight......Oooooo....another fornight of shit telly then. The line-up is currently secret so I thought I'd do something a little different and do some live blogging as the 'celebrities' enter the house......

8.07pm.....Switch over to channel 4 seven minutes late.....bit of an onimous start. Davina is waffling as she goes round the house. The seats in the garden are heated. Big Wow.

8.08pm......Davina needs an autocue.....

8.09pm First advert break....advertising BB8 auditions *sigh*. Expedia don't make travel easier, they make it more expensive. Neurogena, black head stuff with the bird from Smallville, the words of Bill Hicks echo round my brain. X Box 360, Comet, Soya Milk, Carphone Warehouse....Smokin' Aces trailer (which spoils the film totally).....Blue WKD.....Tesco.....Expedia January Sale.....Ugly Betty (good series.....)

8.14......Back from advert hell......

8.15......*cough* the first celebrity is Jermaine Jackson aka Muhammad Abdul Aziz (Don't forget he's a Muslim convert folks.......oh and also Michael Jackson's brother).He's a clean freak and hates dirt. I dare someone to poo in his bed. He says he's a private person.....so why go into the house then?

8.19.....Jermaine Jackson enters the house dressed like his brother Michael....spooky....

8.20.....Celebrity number 2 is Danielle somebody....ex Miss Great Britain....title taken from her due to her realationship with Teddy Sheringham who was one of the judges (she says that they hooked up after the competition). In the words on BB7 contest Nikki......'Who is she?! Who is she?!.....Greeted with boo's from the crowd.....ha ha ha. Appears to be wearing a cow.

8.24....Who could celebrity number 3 be? I can hardly wait.....well actually I could but anyway....it's.................H from Steps? Cilla Black? Fucking hell, it's Ken Russell!!!!!! *faints* Well done CH4, that is a total curve ball. He is mucho bananas and should be quite fun in the house. Oh dear, he's singing 'Singin' in the Rain' badly......he is nuts :) Bloody hell he's 80....and they've had to cut the sound as he's swearing......ha ha ha. Wanders into the house.....he's the only one to introduce himself to the others. Bless.

8.33...More adverts.....time for a cup of tea.

8.37......Adverts over....hurrah....it's getting as bad as American telly.....so celebrity number 4 is.......Jo Meara from S Club 7. Oh sweet jesus. Complaining about being in a boy/girl band. Hello?! You travelled the world....you've seen things I'll never see.....get your head out of your arse and be thankful!! Miserable cow......she clearly wants to cling onto any sliver of 'celebrity' status.....i would have picked dignity myself. Enters the house and says she's scared. Wimp.

8.42.....No 5.....Yay!!! Leo Sayer, hurrah.....I want him to win already. He's doing the show because he's got nowt else to do. Bless. He knows Jermaine Jackson.

8.46.....No idea who is going to be next....the papers have been quite wrong so far.....oh OK...more bloody adverts!

8.47....Why is Brian Cox doing voice-overs for Pizza Hut adverts? As if being in a Steven Seagal isn't bad enough.....

8.52....Back again.....media tart, sorry, celebrity number 6 is......some Bollywood actress. I'm probably being rather dismissive as she'll be a massive celebrity everywhere else in the world. Reported in the press that she's getting £300 000 to appear. Not bad for a maximum of 2 weeks work.

8.56....I think they will up the stakes again and throw another curve ball....someone controversial....need someone else like Ken Russell.

8.58......Carol Malone.....newpaper columnist...rent-a-gob....famous for slagging off reality TV contestants. Mmmmmm.

9.03.....Number 8 is....Donny Tourette....famous for shagging Peaches Geldof. He'll be on to get his 'band' some exposure. Nuff said. Crowd chants 'Who are ya'....doesn't take too kindly to it. Knows Leo Sayer!!!!!

9.08....Guess what.....yup...adverts....

9.13....Only 5 minutes of adverts the.....*yawn*.....the 9th celebrity *cough* is H from Steps. Is that a barrel i can hear being scraped? Oh and he's gay.....who'd have thunk it.....

9.17....Cleo Roccos....remember her from the Kenny Everett show? Thought not. Anyway, she's number 10.

9.21....Jesus...is this nearly over yet? No Jade Goody yet....thankfully.

9.22....Dirk Benedict!!! My hero.....well....I was 8 at the time. Ladies man. I hope he wins already. Sorry Leo :) They made him arrive in an A-Team style van. Has no idea what he's doing there.

9.27.....Zzzzzzzzzzzz.......oooo a family arrives on Friday.....I wonder who that could be?

9.30.....Finally it's all over. It was tedious.....I won't be watching. Well maybe a little.......

2006-12-29T09:40:00.000Z

Well, that's another one over with :)

In the end it was a quiet Christmas Day, just me, mum, step-dad, my sister and her boyfriend. We all ate too much as usual but there was the minimum of fuss.

I still find the festive period quite difficult, with my Dad living so far away and my former step mother denying access visits to our half brothers. Not even a card this year........ I'll stop there before I get too cross or cry. I may blog about it at another time.......

The gift haul was impressive this year. I got a soft modded X-Box which is fab so I can play *cough* DL'd games and DVD's with no fuss. I fear that my social life will be over though......the controller extends far enough for me to play Project Gotham Racing 2 from the comfort of my bed. I also got a Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn DVD boxset, a new winter coat, a lovely print of photo from a trip to the Lakes in the summer, a Hello Kitty t-shirt (yes, I am a big kid) and Hannibal Rising in hardback.

I read Hannibal Rising in 6 hours. It is.....................dreadful. A massive disappointment. Lecter should have remained an enigma.......I also think the reasons behind him becoming a serial killer are lame. Why do we need to justify his actions? Can't he just be evil....or do we need an answer in order to make us feel better? If you want to read a book that really gets into the mind of a serial killer than find a copy of Silent Terror - Killer on the Road by James Ellroy. It's a truly terrifying read.

2006-12-12T20:41:00.000Z

It's nearly Christmas! Hurrah!

13 days (my maths maybe wrong) and it'll all be over and I won't have to hear Wizzard singing that bloody song again, or Slade or Paul McCartney for the matter.

Yes, I am not a big fan of Christmas, in fact I am beginning to hate it. Not the present giving and christmas dinner eating, it's everything else. The office party, queuing, crap telly, queuing, christmas card writing, queuing, silly santa hat wearing and bloody queuing.

Why do people do that whole thing of standing in the doorway when you are trying to get into a shop....and why do they tut at you when you try to get past? Why are all supermarkets full of people buying enough food to last 3 weeks rather than 2 days? Can we really not cope with all shops being closed for one day? What is it with people wearing Santa hats? No, I will not smile and be bloody festive!

The one phrase I do not what to hear said to me at all is 'Cheer up, it's Christmas'......I maybe force to stab someone if I do.

Now, if you'll excuse me I have some presents to wrap.

PS - I work for a bunch of tossers - I'll will tell all tomorrow (otherwise I'll get worked up, go grrrrrr and not get to sleep for hours)

2006-12-03T21:41:00.000Z

I've been away and just come back. I went to Newcastle. It was ace. I spent some time with a lovely friend, ate cheese, went see the Spanking the Monkey exhibition at the Baltic, finally saw the Angel of the North (after dodging 4 lanes of traffic), ate even more cheese, drank cherry beer, watched a puppet show and went to look for vampire rabbits.

I was the perfect tonic, work is very stressful and if I hadn't have got away I think I would have gone bonkers.

PS - The Killers were crap....not the band but the sound. Hull Arena should not be used as a music venue....ever. Have you ever noticed that no band ever plays there twice.........

PPS - I passed my driving test on Friday.....hurrah.

2006-11-21T17:08:00.000Z

I'm off to see the Killers tonight. It was highly unlikely but I've managed to get on the guest list.......how very random.

2006-11-20T20:42:00.000Z

*peeks round corner*

Ah.....that's where it is!!

*blows 4 inch layer of dust off blog*

I am, of course being sarcarstic. I knew were it was all the time, it's just i've been a lame ass when it comes to blogging.

Work is quite frankly, well, dull. Dull, dull dull dull dull.

Rancid last Sunday, rocked. They rocked so hard that I didn't have proper hearing until Wednesday :)

Casino Royale was a surprise. I hated myself for liking it. The stunts are real too....which makes a change from the usual CGI pap.

Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny was so funny I wheezed.

2006-11-06T14:44:00.000Z

I have the week off work. Normal people would go on holiday. I have stupidly decided to stay at home. It's 2.38pm and I'm already bored out of my tree. Daytime telly has sucked the life out of me and replaced it with a complete lack of motivation to do anything.

Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow.........If I can be arsed.

2006-10-31T21:14:00.000Z

On Friday, as any newly qualified first aider would do, I went to London. It was great. I discovered the delights of Wagamama, the slides at Tate Modern and took lots of pictures, one of which is below.....(there are more here too)

I also realised that Kevin Spacey is, in fact, sex on a stick after seeing his perfomance in Moon For the Misbegotten. Colm Meaney was superb too, well worth £28 of anyones money.

Whilst in London I bought - a lovely grey felt bag from the tate modern, 3 Otis Redding Cd's for £6 from Fopp, Life Wasted by Pearl Jam on 7" vinyl for £2 and I spent a small fortune in Paperchase.

In Wagamamas I ate - ebi katsu, gyoza, yaki soba, chicken tama rice, white chocolate and ginger cheesecake and peach iced tea.....not all in one sitting i hasten to add!

2006-10-31T21:02:00.000Z

Last week I became a first aider. Oh how I larf. I can now deal with chemical burns, scalds and possible fracture.....sometimes only with the aid of a baked bean tin and some string. The downside is, it's made me rather anally retentive as I've been though all the first aid kits at work and made a list of what is missing. I've also composed an email telling people that if they want a plaster then they'll have to fill out an accident form......or go to Superdrug and buy some themselves.....the cheap skates. I think that turning 30 may have turned me into an officious old cow.

2006-10-31T20:59:00.000Z

All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.
All play and no work makes Kate forget to blog.

2006-10-17T19:28:00.000+01:00

Today was a normal day. A grump ruined it.....not mine I hasten to add (but I eventually caught it, grrrrr).

Anyway, I now have a migraine. Yes, I know I'm typing but I have sunglasses on so I can. Cunning, huh?

2006-10-16T15:16:00.000+01:00

I think I've got Mondayitis.....the sink is full of washing up, I have a small mountain of ironing to do, there is something that smells funny in the fridge and I need to empty the bins. Even knowing all this doesn't make me want to leave my duvet to do it. I think I may need to hibernate.

On other matters, many thanks to ASDA for breaking the rules and selling Ian Rankin's new 'Rebus' novel, The Naming of the Dead. It's not due out until the 18th......I bought it on Friday. It's a little cracker.

2006-10-15T20:56:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I found myself in Blackpool

I can safely say that I will never visit that hell-hole again. I apologise to the residents of Hornsea and Withernsea to whom I have been harsh about in the past. In comparison to Blackpool, both towns should be part of the Italian Riviera.

On the way back we got stuck in traffic on the M62. Some bright spark decided to close junction 31, just as thousands of Hull FC fans were heading back home from Old Trafford after losing to St Helens. The diversion took us AN HOUR AND A HALF!!!!! I think it was planned by a disgruntled Leeds Rhinos fan, cross at them not making the final.

2006-10-10T06:42:00.000+01:00

So Google have hammered the final nail in the coffin of YouTube by buying the outfit for $1.65 billion. It really annoys me when big business buys something popular and then squeezes every last drop of soul it has out of it. I personally can't understand how Google are going to get all their cash back.......maybe they'll put a whole heap of adverts before each video.

Off to the theatre tomorrow - The History Boys. I have high expectations and hope I won't be disappointed.

My new favourite blog site is cunextthursday over at 20six.co.uk. I especially like the 'unsolicited cocks' section. Having been a member of a dating site, I am still trying to grasp why a guy would think that sending a picture of his 'la-di-dah' in a 'happy state' would lead to a date or any form of relationship......other than with a psychiatrist or probation officer.

2006-10-09T20:32:00.000+01:00

Boo!

Did I scare you....? Didn't think so but it was worth a try.

It's getting worse at work - so I am choosing to ignore it as I am a chicken shit and hoping that if I don't address the problem it will just go away.

Anywho, today in a fit of boredom I bought a second hand Pentax P30. Only £30 and as my mate Adam pointed out, it's always good to have a spare. I keep on getting outbid on 28mm lenses though, grumble grumble.

I think I've forgotten to mention that on the 28th October I'm off to see this.......*at this point there should be a picture of Kevin Spacey in Moon For the Misbegotten but as blogger is being a pain up the arse it won't post it*

On November 12th, I'll be off to Nottingham Rock City to see these guys........*damn blogger and their crappy upload service! So if you can all just imagine a picture of the band Rancid, that would help lots*

2 things i learnt over the weekend,The Departed is a very good film, in some ways it is as good as it's original and always wear wellies when venturing onto Beverley Westwood.

2006-09-29T19:18:00.000+01:00

Fucksocks is the best way to describe today. I'll spare you the details but I am rather grumbly with work at the moment......but fuck it, it's friday, Rebus is on the telly and I have chocolate.

Of course the other thing to ask is.......why no blogging? Well, my days are so monotonous it would not only bore me ridgid recounting it, reading it would be just as bad.

Having said that my driving is coming along nicely - managed 3 parallel parks in a row and I've had no practice since Monday. I think I may have turned a corner, hurrah!

2006-09-17T20:58:00.000+01:00

Another thing, I can't understand......why do the people who make trailers insist on using Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones on trailers for Martin Scorsese films?

2006-09-17T20:49:00.000+01:00

This weekend has been a bit of a bore. Did next to bugger all.

Watched Broken Flowers, Shaun of the Dead and Ong-Bak on DVD. Went to the cinema and saw 'The Queen' - excellent film, Helen Mirren is fantastic.

Caught up with Extras and Rebus, thanks to utorrent.

Watched Arsenal beat the scum.......oh how I laugh.....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, it's almost better than Leeds nearly being bottom of the Championship.......ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Nose back to the grind stone tomorrow.....I already can't be arsed.

2006-09-15T20:21:00.000+01:00

Are my eyes deceiving me?

Hull City.....winning......on the telly?

WAHOO!

2006-09-13T22:38:00.000+01:00

WOW!! 2 posts in one day.......here's a pointless list......if found this somewhere, it kept me amused for 5 minutes.

WHAT CURSE WORD DO YOU USE THE MOST? Arse biscuits

DO YOU OWN AN IPOD? Yes.......and i bought it before everyone else jumped on the band wagon!

WHAT TIME IS YOUR ALARM CLOCK SET TO? 05.00.....yes that early.

HOW MANY SUITCASES DO YOU OWN? 3

DO YOU WEAR FLIP FLOPS WHEN ITS COLD? Of course.

WOULD YOU RATHER TAKE THE PICTURE OR BE IN THE PICTURE? Defo take.

WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Right on Your Doorstep - fucking hell it was dreary and badly written

DO ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS HAVE CHILDREN? Yes

HAS ANYONE EVER CALLED YOU LAZY? When I was 12

DO YOU EVER TAKE MEDICATION TO FALL ASLEEP? No but I should do.

WHAT CD IS CURRENTLY IN YOUR CD PLAYER? Back in Black - AC/DC

DO YOU PREFER REGULAR OR CHOCOLATE MILK? Chocolate - in particular Hershey's Cookies and Cream milk, mmmmm

HAS ANYONE TOLD YOU A SECRET THIS WEEK? Yes......it involved ninja badgers and cupcakes

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD STARBUCKS? A world record 3 weeks ago.......the White Chocolate hot chocolate from McCoys is toooooooooo good.

CAN YOU WHISTLE? Yes......and I hate bloody whistling.....fuck off with your cheerfulness

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My Dad

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE TALK ABOUT YOU BEHIND YOUR BACK? Defo, but I don't care.....I probably talk trash about them too.

DID YOU WATCH CARTOONS AS A CHILD? Abso-bloody-lutely

ARE YOU SHY AROUND THE OPPOSITE SEX? Depends if I fancy them or not

WHAT MOVIE DO YOU KNOW EVERY LINE TO? Star Wars, Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, Parenthood, Ghostbusters and the Wizard of Oz

DO YOU OWN ANY BAND T-SHIRTS? Yes, Dropkick Murphy's x 2, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Pearl Jam, The Who and the Sainte Catherines

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING? Ranch

IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU? Not that I'm aware of or been told.

DO YOU DO YOUR OWN DISHES? Yes

EVER CRY IN PUBLIC? At work, totally by accident.

ARE YOU ON A DESKTOP COMPUTER OR A LAP TOP? Using a HP Pavillion dv1000 - bought in Oct 05 - love it to bits

ARE YOU CURRENTLY WANTING ANY PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS? No

WHATS THE WEATHER LIKE? Dark

WOULD YOU EVER DATE SOMEONE COVERED IN TATTOOS? Yes, never judge a book.......

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE THIS? Ate some biscuits, chatting on MSN

ARE YOUR DAYS FULL AND FAST PACED? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THE CALORIES ON THE PACKAGES? Yes, I have no idea why either

DO YOU USE SARCASM? All the time.....it's now ingrained in my soul

HOW OLD WILL YOU BE TURNING ON YOUR NEXT BIRTHDAY? A lady does not divulge her age

ARE YOU PICKY ABOUT SPELLING AND GRAMMAR? Yes, but I'm hardly a saint.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO SIX FLAGS?Texas - 1984 (I have pictorial evidence too)D

O YOU GET ALONG BETTER WITH THE SAME SEX OR THE OPPOSITE SEX? Both

DO YOU LIKE MUSTARD? It is satans spunk

DO YOU SLEEP ON YOUR SIDE, STOMACH OR BACK?A combination of all three

DO YOU WATCH THE NEWS?It would be impossible not to in my line of work.

TELL ME ABOUT ONE OF YOUR SCARS - Cupboard door, aged four, being nosey, lump out of forehead

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU MAD?I couldn't name names......sorry

DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?Lots and lots

WHY DID YOU DO THIS SURVEY? Boredom, sheer boredom

2006-09-13T12:12:00.000+01:00

I wonder if there is a self help group for DVD addicts....if so I think I need to join.

So far this week I've bought, The Philadelphia Story, Shaun of the Dead, Ong-Bak, The Fisher King, Broken Flowers, Manhattan and Pretty in Pink. Oh dear.

On a different note I am in a grump today and I'm actually getting cross with myself for being in a grump. Grrrr.......

2006-09-11T20:13:00.000+01:00

I currently stink of developer, the smell is ingrained in my hands. No biscuits for me tonight then, *grumble grumble*.

Not much of a weekend really, had to work on Saturday after saying goodbye to a workmate on Friday. It meant no drinking but I really wasn't bothered.

Went to see A Scanner Darkly on Saturday evening. Weird little film, as you would expect from a PK Dick adaptation. Good script from Richard Linklater, some very funny bits (the bit with the 18 speed bike is priceless) and this is a shocker - Woody Harrelson in decent acting scandal, he's very well cast as stoner Eddie.

Saw Right At Your Door on Sunday. It's about a 'dirty' bomb attack in LA. It was crap. Written with a stick, the characters changed their tone in almost every scene. I found myself questioning what they were doing and mentally saying 'they wouldn't do that'. As for plot twist, if you pay attention, you'll work it out about 30 mins from the end.

Hopefully will catch Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen and an advanced screening of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby on Thursday. Not sure that I'll see the Black Dahlia. One Scarlett Johanssen is in it and I find her annoying, Two as a massive Ellroy fan I can't help but feel that I'm going to be disappointed.

2006-09-06T20:11:00.000+01:00

What a shitola blogger I am. My problem is I forget.

In my head I form a witty, interesting post.......five minutes later I have a mental fart and it's gone.

Anywho, a quick round of the last 2 ish weeks (blimey, has it been that long!?!)......

Work - bloody hell, I'm bored with it, I really honestly mean it. The first part of my escape plan* has fallen into place. I passed my driving theory test on Monday. It's only the third time I've had to take it......after letting the last expire. Twit. It won't happen this time, I have a lesson tomorrow when I'll be assessed and told when i can take my test. Should have it cracked in time for Santa's visit. To make things worse, a close friend from work leaves for London tomorrow *sob*.

Play - The only thing I'm really concentrating on at the moment is photography. Love it. Could happily do it all day. I couldn't make it a career as I'm not good enough but it has given me a creative outlet......something I am lacking at work.

This is my favourite picture at the moment.......if blogger would upload the fecker....anyway it's here if you want a look.

Other than that I've been to the cinema lots, alphabetised my DVD collection which took an hour and a half, threw away all my old video tapes, argued with a bunch of chavs on the bus, re-read and got freaked out by The Handmaids Tale, went to London for a union meeting......oh and i finally got broadband :) In the first 48 hours I managed to *cough* acquire 33 new albums. It's soooo much fun.

*by escape plan I mean I know that I want to run away but have no plan

2006-08-21T21:56:00.000+01:00

This is currently the colour of my face after a stupidly sat outside on Sunday. I am rather confusled as it was cloudy and threatened rain most of the day. Ouch!

2006-08-18T20:02:00.000+01:00

For the first time ever I made a proper complaint ---- and actually got a result!!

My phone didn't work when I went to Germany. When I say 'work' I mean that Orange didn't tell me that they have NO 3G networks in Germany. I spent 45 minutes on hold racking up a huge bill in an internet cafe to be told that. I was rather grumbly.

Anywho, I emailed a complaint to them, it was polite but firm. I didn't think I'd get anywhere until I got this.....

"Thank you for your reply.

I am sorry to hear of the amount of time you were holding to speak to our Customer Services team from abroad.I would like to advise that I have placed a credit on your account which will cover the cost of the call you made to us and this amount will show on your next bill.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused"

Hurrah!! Am rather chuffed, I wasn't expecting a refund, just an apology. I think I should complain nicely more often.

2006-08-15T14:44:00.000+01:00

I don't seem to have grasp this whole blogging thing properly. It would help if I posted more than twice a month!

Anyway, this made me chortle :)

2006-07-31T19:48:00.000+01:00

A girl on work experience asked me today 'what ecuador was'.

Dumb ass.

2006-07-30T21:44:00.000+01:00

Crocs....what can I say. The 'fashion accessory of the summer' according to a number of style magazines. I beg to differ......they are quite simply

FUCKING AWFUL

(and dentists wear them....a very sexy profession, not)

If you see a pair, burn them.

If you own a pair, then fuck off you sad twat.