Wednesday, March 31, 2004
The offer of a lift to the quiz yesterday evening was not one that I was going to pass up. It had been an incredibly long day - tedious and dull to an extent that is hard to imagine - and the glass of wine I'd poured myself from the (now almost empty) box of wine in the kitchen had not done much to wake me up. I'd removed my contact lenses as soon as I'd got home but my eyes had not had enough time to rest and putting them back in a couple of hours later left me feeling the same as you do when you've been rudely woken at 3am in the morning - squinty and incoherent. Caroline arrived and I mumbled a few answers to questions about how I was and what I'd been up to as I wondered out to the car. Thinking I'd be better off in the back I opened the front door and started feeling around at the side of the seat for the catch to pull it forward. Finding nothing (it was the first time in her car) I reached down to the bottom to see if the catch was down there. Caroline and Mr K (as well as the lady stood waiting for her bus) stood there watching me blindly fumbling around in the dark before Caroline quietly says to me
"You could just get in the back door - its a 5 door car you know..." # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 8:44 PM
Anyway, being the cunning devil I am I thought what better way to try this new service than to nab the tablet PC, set the cordless phone up on the helpdesk and go and sit outside in the sun for half an hour 'testing' things with Dave (a minion). I'm just so dedicated to my job. If only I'd thought to go and get an ice cream first...
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 3:41 PM
(link via Scattershot) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 11:54 AM
(link via The Presurfer) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 10:24 AM
This story about restaurant managers conned into performing strip searches of staff or customers by an annonymous caller claiming to be a policeman is hard to believe. Who would fall for that and go as far as giving someone a cavity search? # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 10:20 AM
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
There are still places left for anyone that wants to take part in the World Pong Championships.
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 3:59 PM
(link via Bloggerheads) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 1:10 PM
So is my day any better today. Lets see.
Good Luck: Having run out of most things there was still bread available so I could have breakfast.
Bad Luck: I'd run out of marmalade and peanut butter.
Good Luck: I still had plenty of margarine to put on my toast.
Bad Luck: I dropped my toast.
Good Luck: It landed butter side up on the floor!
Bad Luck: That was because it landed butter side down on my jeans first before falling to the floor.
I think you can only see the large greasy patches if you look really closely..... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 9:16 AM
Monday, March 29, 2004
Woman tracks down the person making obscene phonecalls to her and corners him in a phone box.
(link via Bloggerheads) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 3:09 PM
I think its going to be 'one of those days' today. It all started when I forgot to set my alarm and hence got up a little later than I wanted this morning. This led to me rushing to get ready in the bathroom and shaving a little too energetically. You know those adverts for razors like Gillette where the man just swipes the razor across his face for that perfect shave - its bollocks! If you tried that at best you'd get a bad shaving rash. At worst you cut yourself like I did today. I think I must have gone sideways rather than down in my enthusiasm? Thats the second time in the last few weeks as well - I ended up with two 1cm long parallel cuts on my cheek the other week and was referred to as 'the young man with the scar on his face' by one of the visitors to the Helpdesk. Thank god I don't use those razors with 4 blades!
With my workmate Matt leaving tomorrow, I was given the job of going to the shop to fulfill his wish for "millions of Curly Wurly's". I didn't quite get millions but you still look quite stupid going to the checkout with 27 of them.....
Roll on tomorrow. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 11:00 AM
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Just wanted to say congratulatons to Erin on the arrival of her baby boy Ben. I've been popping back to her blog to keep myself updated once in a while since I found it a fair while ago and I'm pleased that everything went smoothly for her. He's a cutie!! 
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 9:17 PM
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Saturday night and I suppose I should really be out partying or something. Instead I'm having a quiet night in with a glass of red wine feeling like I've been wrestling a 600lbs gorilla. That'll teach me not to skip basketball for so long I suppose. In my defence it was quite energetic today with only four per team and two of them were proper university players who had all the moves. Well, more moves than me anyway! Had to resort to some serious one-on-one marking to stop them walking all over my team. So I chose to mark the girl. What? I tried marking the bloke - I ran into him at one point and just bounced off!
Anyway, quiet night in and I'm trying to find myself some new music. Its been a long time since I've bought much and I really do need some new blood in my music collection! Although I know its wrong I'm downloading a few tracks at the moment. I really dont see why I should buy something that I've never listened to! In most cases so far I've thought of someone with a song I've liked recently, downloaded a few more tracks from the album and after listening to them decided that I would really never buy that album and deleted them again! So maybe I am taking money from the record companies but only because I didnt buy some crappy album that I'd listen to once and forever store in some cupboard somewhere there after.
I'm currently testing Delta Goodrem, Kosheen, Norah Jones and Amy Studt (who's also very fit). Can you tell I like female vocals in songs!? When I do decide what I want I wont be downloading and burning it to CD illegally. Nope, I've found that its much better to find this stuff on Ebay. For instance I got the latest Alabama 3 album 'Power in the Blood' for £5 recently which I though was great.
Once I've tried some of these vocally bands, I might start looking for a few good Dance/Trance albums. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 9:17 PM
Friday, March 26, 2004
I quite like the song and the animation is pretty cool too.
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 5:27 PM
Dont forget to checkout what else Mittens and Snowdrop have been up to recently too. You remember them don't you? Spicy brains still makes me laugh.... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 5:23 PM
For the train set enthusiast in your life - a train set in a briefcase. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 5:14 PM
Anyway I've got my new jeans and my bestest shirt on, I had a shave this morning (unusual for a Friday) and I'm all ready for a night on the town. Of course being on late shift means I get there an hour after everyone else and no doubt half of them will have already left but still...... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 2:57 PM
"Hodl--oh-ooh-dee."
Now where did I put my lederhosen....? # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 2:20 PM
(link via Brucey) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 2:12 PM
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Check out your emotional, physical and intellectual state (or biorhythms) at Martin' Biorythms Site. I'm not in a good state and apparently only going to get worse.....
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 5:54 PM
Speaking of chocolate, prepare to be jealous ladies. I have a friend that has just started working in Thorntons and she says they throw away loads of (sweet, tasty) chocolate everyday! Guess who has started to get lots of free chocolate given to him..... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 3:42 PM
Although I have a direct debit set up to make a donation to Save The Children each month, I'm not exactly 'doing' much. I mean I filled in the form to set it all up one lunchtime when I'd popped into town a couple of years ago (and I only really stopped as the young lady flogging it was fairly attractive, it was raining and she had an umberella) but thats all the effort I've put in. The donation is made silently each month and unless I actually bother to check my bank statements I forget I'm even doing it most of the time. I want to feel like I'm doing some good through some physical action on my part!!
The last time I did any sort of sponsored event must have been about 20 years ago? I can't remember what the event was and I can't remember where the money went. I just remember taking the form around to various family members and trying to get money out of them.
So with no official event this year I need a new plan. Some people are already organising an unoffical Blogathon but I'm not sure I want to actually join that? It might be nice to do it at the same time as other people but as its unofficial I can do it whenever and however I want to really. The second half of July was supposed to be the date of the Blogathon this year and the unofficial one is set for the 17-18th July. I'll give the 'when' question a little thought and decide on a date in the next few weeks.
All the finer details can be sorted out laters so the only other question is which charity? I could maybe go with one of these but I might look around for other charities too. If anyone has any they would like to suggest then please let me know. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 1:01 PM
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Seems that there is no Blogathon 2004. Hmmm, this requires some thought as I was planning on taking part. More on this tomorrow after I've had a think.........
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 6:11 PM
Something I have been thinking about and can share was brought about by my amazing lottery win this weekend. I went to collect my winnings yesterday, and as I stood there with that lovely ten pound note in my hand trying to decide if I should spend it on sweets or beer, I started to think what I'd do if I'd won big!
Now its been a while since I've thought about this as I don't frankly play the lottery much. My decision to buy a ticket usually depends on a complex equation.
(Work Tedium x Life Crapiness) / Money in Bank = Chance of Winning Lottery
So what would I do if I won a few million? Well, I think I'd keep on working. I know that seems silly but if you treated that wage as disposable imagine the parties you could have, the money you could give to friends or charity! Could have some fun there. I would take some time off work tho and go on a long holiday, maybe to here or here. And I'd have to get a nice flat of my own somewhere although I'm not sure exactly where?
After that, well I don't think I'd go to over the top. I'd make sure I had all the nice things I wanted but not splash out on expensive and pointless presents for myself - I've never been the sort of person to do that to any great extent. Would be nice to splash out on expensive and pointless presents for my friends tho - to make them smile. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 4:09 PM
(link via The Presurfer) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 1:30 PM
(link via The G-Spot) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 1:10 PM
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
This is pretty cool.
(link via Bloggerheads) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 6:14 PM
No more! Its 3 weeks until I'm earlies again so I have to be in full 'get fit' mode before then!
It has started well anyway as I did go swimming this morning. I do like swimming and it does make me feel good. I could do without the freaks we get down there tho. There was 'I Can't Swim Girl' the other week who, despite not being able to swim insisted on using the main pool rather than the beginners pool and doing WIDTHS as she didn't want to go out of her depth! The there is 'Corpse Bloke' (who has been mentioned before) who lays face down like he's dead and just propels himself forward with the odd flopping movement before coming up for air every 45 seconds or so.
Last, but by no means least, is 'Whale Man'. Built like a damn WWE wrestler he must be 6' 7" and weigh twice as much as me. So why does he insist on performing a running bomb in the shallow end whenever he gets in the pool? No one's impressed, you just look stupid! He tends to plow through people as well but the very worst bit is when he starts doing butterfly - god its like watching Free Willy trying to escape and everyone gives him a wide bearth then. I'm only small which means I have to ride out the micro tsunami that he creates.
On the plus side there was an attractive new lifeguard lady on duty this morning.....
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 5:20 PM
For a little bit more class you could get the alternative (and cheaper) version - The Orgasmatron (insert dramatic music here)!! Not sure I believe the claims but with a name like that how could it not be true!?
(first link via Danger Betty) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 12:56 PM
Monday, March 22, 2004
I was quite surprised when I got home from work to find that my mum had phoned me up a little earlier. A little odd I thought as I'd only spoken to her the day before to wish her a happy Mothering Sunday. Then I remembered I'd sent a little something for her and it had most likely only arrived that morning. She phoned back a bit later.
"I got something in the post this morning from you."
"Ah yes."
"There was nothing in there tho."
"Eh? Nothing at all?"
"Well, there was a note and a little box but there was nothing in the box."
"Nothing? Thats strange."
At this point I'm busy trying to remember if I did actually put what was supposed to be in the box in before I sent it.
"Nothing except this little bit of blue paper which I guess was there to try and stop something falling out. I've checked the whole envelope and I cant find what fell out tho."
"Ummmmm, the little bit of blue paper was the present!"
Thats the last time I send my mum any origami through the post...... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 7:34 PM
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Yay. For the first time ever (not hard considering I never really play) I've won something on the lottery! Okay so its only a tenner. Still, maybe it'll be the jackpot next time!
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 6:35 PM
Saturday, March 20, 2004
I had a friend back at university. We were paired as lab partners within the first few weeks of our course and remained friends from that point on. She was a lovely young woman - kind, funny and outgoing. I on the other hand was very shy and quiet. She knew this about me and used to watch out for me - being there as a friend to offer support when I might otherwise have withdrawn or become very nervous. She was kind of like my big sister. I appreciated what she did but being so quiet I never told her just how much. I wish I had.
There was another side to it to tho. She had a bit of a mischievous side and she knew I'd never stand up for myself - she could wrap me round her little finger. Thats why I ended up with 3 years worth of lecture notes that were covered in her little doodles of a flower named Henry.
So why am I mentioning this now? Well, after university we stayed in touch for a while but then - as sometimes happens - lost contact. About 6 years went by before we once again met up just before christmas (that story has been told before). Now I've changed an awful lot in that time. I'm more outgoing, more confident, more mischievous myself - I know how to stand up for myself! After seeing her on Wednesday for the trip to the cinema I realised one thing tho - she can still make me do exactly what she wants with just a look or a word. I'm still powerless to say no. Some things never change and I just had to smile.
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 11:06 AM
Friday, March 19, 2004
The last couple of days seems to have flown by so quickly. I blame it on the early starts at work - by about 10am I enter a dazed state thats lasts for the rest of the day. My contact lenses dry up giving me the squinty eyed feeling like I've just got out of bed, and my energy/motivational levels reach about zero. By that stage I'm just working towards going home - working in the loosest sense of course.
Anyway the last couple of days has been fairly uneventful. On Wednesday I went out with a good friend of mine to see Torque. Its like The Fast and the Furious but on motorbikes. We decided to wanted to go and watch some mindless action/violence and that was the best the cinema had to offer. It was an okay film and fulfilled the mindless action criteria we set, however the ending was just a 'turn your mind off and suspend all disbelief' type thing. Quite bad computer graphics of motorbikes racing through the streets at about 300mph - weaving in and out of cars of course - whilst the riders punched each other. Ooooookay, thats realistic.....
Still, the company was good - as was the ice cream - so I can't complain.
Tonight I'm going to a party. Well, gathering with a fair few people may be a more accurate description. I'm not actually sure I could cope with a party to be honest, I'll probably be asleep by about 21:30 after the first glass of wine. Time to go and get ready - least my clothes can be smart even if I look rough as hell. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 6:56 PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Enter the exciting world of the Worlds largest ball of paint!!!! All together now, Oooooooh.
(thanks to Paul for pointing out the link was wrong previously) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 1:33 PM
My team won £35 each.
Bugger! # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 8:19 AM
Anyway, hear blog posts - harvested from all over the interweb - synthesized into speech and then broadcast as internet radio. Good if you are really really bored. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 8:18 AM
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
I'm getting quite addicted to this railroad tycoon game. Maybe its the funky music? Toot!
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 11:35 AM
Now to me this just seems totally stupid and without thought. Terrorists may well have already been planning an attack here before the election (it has been hinted at) but this sort of poll is kinda like saying "We've done this nice survey for you and you're quite likely to achieve your goals if you do bomb us". Do they really need this sort of encouragement from our media? # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 11:05 AM
Monday, March 15, 2004
Ooooh, I'd like one!!
(link via The Presurfer) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 2:47 PM
I must have tried loads of layouts and colours but at the end of each rough design I'd scrap it and start again. I think maybe I have the smallest acorn of an idea now that might grow into a wonderous tree of a website although more than likely I'll get sick of it and just use some very simple design! I do really want to get it done one way or another this week!
I was also thinking about recycling this weekend. There has been a roadside recycling scheme in Leicester for a good many years now and I've always felt that I'm doing my bit for the environment when I go and visit other people in different parts of the country and see them throwing away all the things we recycle. A couple of weeks ago howoever the green sacks we were used to were replaced by a recycling box. Seems a lot of people are not keen on the new boxes as they are smaller and not as easy to use, plus they are more picky about what you can put in them. I felt the same way at first but I guess it just means I should put a little more consideration into what I buy. Getting things in glass jars rather than tins for instance (although I believe the tins are recycled even when just put in normal bins). At my house we are considering having a few seperate boxes/containers as well to sort the items first. Bit of thought and effort might make a difference, especially if everyone does it.... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 12:59 PM
Friday, March 12, 2004
Hands up all those that want bionic legs.
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 3:56 PM
I have been doing a little work on my new website to try and take my mind of stuff a bit. Hopefully I should have it up an running by the end of the weekend. Famous last words.....
I'm currently listening to Burnshee Thornside as I write this - something I found over at Magnatune. Its not exactly my taste but I do like some of the stuff. Makes a change to have a whole mix of music to try - for free - to see what you like. Don't think I've found anything yet that I like enough to buy but only because its usually just 1-2 tracks per album that I like and not the whole album. I do quite like this trance stuff of Domased tho. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 2:15 PM
Thursday, March 11, 2004
What could be better than a bed - yup, a bed with a built in TV! I At the same time - if I'm honest - I'm angry! I'm angry that I spent the night feeling really shit because I was made to feel like the lowest form of life on the planet! The sort of scum that goes out mugging old ladies or hurting people's pets. I still feel bad even today. Sometimes the causing of pain goes both ways but at least mine was unintentional..... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 7:36 AM
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Catch flies with chopsticks - very frustrating.
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 3:55 PM
Guess she doesn't exactly look like the brightest of people in that mugshot. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 11:16 AM
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
A lovely little short film called The Trinket-Maker. I keep meaning to spend a little more time looking through the films on this site...
(link via FoxFires) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 5:22 PM
(link via Brucey) # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 4:55 PM
"So how can I open it to get the information?"
"It IS open - look, there it is!!! But its NOT a word document!"
"So how do I open it?
Insert sounds of man being beaten about the head with an old Power Macintosh. Okay so that last bit is just what I would have liked to have been doing.
Roll on tomorrow..... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 4:52 PM
Monday, March 08, 2004
Not that I'm encouraging this sort of thing but for anyone thats ever been keen to try pole dancing you might want to pay this site a visit. Get the video. Buy a pole maybe....?
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 7:29 PM
Along similar lines, how to tie your shoe laces - and you thought you'd known how to do that all these years! Some of those are damn hard..... # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 7:19 PM
I never liked the taste of melon btw. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 4:39 PM
Saturday, March 06, 2004
I'd just got back from work on Thursday night and was stood at my front door fiddling with my keys when I heard someone trying to attract my attention. At first I thought it was a group of kids at the nearby bus stop so ignored it but then realised it was actually one of our next door neighbours. I tried to ignore it more.
In case I've never mentioned it before our neighbours are 'odd'. The kind of inbred weirdo's that have about 17 brain cells between them - and fail to use even those fully! Three generations all living under the same roof with granny as head of the household. Arguments, police visits, we've seen it all from them. For this reason I was a little worried that they wanted me for something (I say 'they' as most of the household had arranged themselves on the front doorstep to look).
My worry became a little worse when weirdo mum came out the house with a huge bunch of flowers! "What the hell do they want to give me flowers for?" was all I could think as I shifted uncomfortably on the pavement outside their gate. Turns out it was a delivery for our new housemate who's birthday it was, which had been left at their house for safekeeping. I think my sigh of relief was fairly audible....
Speaking of men giving ladies flowers, I found this site yesterday about the art of fast seduction. Maybe aimed at younger blokes but has a few good tips none the less. # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 2:14 PM
Friday, March 05, 2004
I dont really know what this is all about, but you get to run around the moon in a space suit. Maybe there is more to it than that but my incredibly short attention span stopped me from finding out what.
# posted by
The BlogMonkey @ 2:22 PM
Speaking of computers, my damn monitor at home seems to be on the way out. Last couple of days I get that nasty electrical crackle that usually forewarns of impending not-workingness of the equipment. The weird psychadellic colours down the sides are not a good sign either. Now maybe this had something to do with the wine that was spilt down the back of the monitor a couple of weeks ago but I'm sure it would have dried out by now?! # posted by The BlogMonkey @ 1:28 PM
Thursday, March 04, 2004
Its great to be back. I've really missed work and this dull rainy weather........ okay so I'm, lying! If only holidays didn't seem to be over so quick - the laws of space and time really do seem to change when you are enjoying yourself. And I did enjoy myself. The trip out was not too stressfull with everything pretty much going to plan all the way up to getting into Venice itself.On the map it looked pretty easy to find our hotel but I was not really prepared for how many tiny little streets Venice really has. Being half way between St Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge meant we made it to the right area pretty easily but kept seeming to miss the street we wanted. After about 40 minutes of going round in circles with no luck and Rachel beginning to flag under the weight of her bag (I did offer to carry it but would she let me....) we finally asked a policeman. Well I think it was a policeman cos he did had a gun but then again it could have just been a well armed member of one of the groups of roaming street hawkers who try to sell cheap handbags everywhere. Whoever he was he did direct us the the hotel so he has our thanks!
After finding a place for a cheap meal and a much needed glass of wine we spent an hour or so wandering the streets in the dark - something I'd recommend actually. St Marks is very quiet that time of night!
The second day we basically tried to get in as much as possible but without trying to overdo it. Did St Marks (in the daylight), the museums around the square, the library (for Rach), the Rialto bridge plus there was also much getting lost (on purpose) just to see what we might happen upon. Its nice to find a quite spot near a canal where you can just sit in the sun for a bit watching the locals go by.....
The best bit of the day was going up the belltower of the church on the Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore - it has to be the best view of Venice that you can get and so much quieter than the tower in St Marks Square. Looking down through the slight haze at the city spread out below and the clear blue sky all around was a memory I shall keep. Its only a few minutes trip by water bus too.
We finished the day with me testing my map reading powers by trying to find a good vegetarian restaurant listed in our Venice guide. It took a while but we managed it - only to find that it was closed for renovation for 4 weeks. D'oh! The place we ended up was nice tho and good wine always makes any place seem better. And what do you do when in a romatic city like Venice with a very attractive young woman, you've both had a few glasses of wine and you get back to your hotel room? Thats right, we put on raspberry face masks! There are pictures of me in the face mask - you may get to see them if lucky.....?
The last day was spent shopping and getting back - nothing too exciting. I have no pictures to post as I didn't actually finish the film. I can post this scan of the bar bill for 2 drinks from a place called Harry's Bar which we visited on Tuesday night.
If you are after a cheap night I wouldn't suggest this place. The cocktail list was fairly poor too. Still, it was fun watching what was going on in the bar. The out of place group of tourists who looked like they should be in the local pub rather than a posh bar. The group of young travellers trying to drink very very slowly. Best was the middle aged sleazeball in the corner with the white shirt open to his navel, dinner jack and jeans and attractive young girl on his arm gazing at him intently with doe eyes. As Rach said he must be loaded as he was definitely not a looker.
Be sure to check my