What a great Xmas!

Had a great xmas, I think it was the best xmas I have had in a long time. I hardly worked in the pub, had a lot rest and just watched loads of tv (in fact I nearly started back into watching the soaps only I was strong....and read instead)....I read the Da Vinci code from cover to cover and was completely hooked!...a great book!

Not looking forward to having to go back to real life again!

Work Xmas Do's and Don'ts

Do

Drink and be merry.
Complement your boss on what a great year it has been.
Dance with the right person in the right area.
Eat and comment on how good the food is.
Go home and have a pleasant sleep.
Wake up the next day with no regrets or fading memories of horror.

Don't

Get absolutely blitzed and forget your own name.
Throw paper aeroplanes at your boss while also flicking the V sign in his general direction.
Dance on the table to a chorus of 'shake it like a poloroid picture'.
Say 'whats the point of eating when you have fine drink' and spill your dinner all over the person sitting beside you.
Not go home but wake up in a strange house wearing different clothes from those you remember putting on the day before and a pair of fluffy slippers covered with leaves.
Have horrible recollections of dancing with the bosses wife a little too suggestively.

Merry Christmas Everyone

From the lips of the Legendary orange crooner Cliff (will he ever just give up and die) Richard......

'The snow is falling all around us,
Children singing having fun,
This is the season for love and understanding
Merry Christmas Everyone'

p.s. just been told that it was the knockkneed bopper Shakin' Stevens who sang this number.....but i'm too lazy to change the post....

Peacock Suit

Yesterday, hung over as hell I had to crawl out of bed to dress head to toe as a peacock at a childrens community day in St Georges Market. Now once I had donned the costumed designed for me and had discovered that I could move, I had a bit of dilemma. Now this wasn't a dilemma like choose between the brunette or the blonde, or a choclate eclair and the chocolate chip cookie.....more of one requiring creativity regarding movement. How in the name of all that is holy and scared and natural does a Peacock move? Does it wiggle its bum, cock its head or jiggle like a polaroid picture? mmmm I decided that he would take on a gangster walk with a slight joggle once I found that the head wasn't stable enough to do a full on Monty python silly walkesque movement. I think it worked out ok....at least I haven't seen the pictures yet to see.....

Turkeys and Homemade vino

Joined the resources with our neighbours to make a joint Christmas dinner, we offered plates, our oven, table, chairs, bought trivial persuit and forgiveness.....they offered turkeys, food and wine......it all worked out wonderfully! So much so that at 4am I stood up and sang 'Survivor' by Destinys Child only to find that it is impossible to sing unless you are in fact:

a) A Woman
b) Someone who can sing
c) You are black
d) You are Destinys Child

So, I punished their eardrums and they all punished mine with playstation 2's version of Karaoke. I am surprised that we didn't wake up the entire neighbourhood...but it was great. I left about 5am to go home and prepare to be a Peacock the next day.

Snow angels

Crystals
melting like tears
on button noses
leaving
rosy cheeks
warm with joy

Championship Manager

I am now officially addicted to the XBox version of Chamionship Manager. I have played two seasons of the game and spent all day yesterday on my day off playing it non-stop. I woke at 11:30am, had a shower, something to eat and sat down to play the game, my housemate came in at 2pm and had some lunch, said i'd not be playing it later. But low and behold at 8pm I was still sitting playing it, had brought Aston Villa from 17th place the season before to Champions League football. Now you would think having blurred vision and a wierd dream last night would have put me off....but it seems that tonight and my day off tomorrow will be more of the same....i'm thinking of tactical substitutions as we speak.

The Incredibles

If you get the chance at all in the next wee while you should certainly go out and catch this in the cinema before they stop showing it! Make sure you go early as well....cause there is a small animation shown before it starts and it is nearly as good as the whole feature. The wee baby in the family is just amazingly created....so funny! Check it out soon! Ok!

Pizza

It was so bloody cold last night that I just got into the house after work, turned up the heat and ordered a meaty feast pizza from Four Star Pizza.....and I was the happiest little bunny rabbit that there has ever been in the world!

Sublime!

Standing at a bus stop in Derrynoose on the Border of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on a cold day listening to the radio I felt warmer than I have ever felt in my entire life. I heard Neil Mellor (a rookie striker) volley a thunderbolt of a shot past an Arsenal keeper to allow Liverpool without any regular strikers beat last years Champions with a sucker punch. It showed that we are not the pushovers people expect us to be and that we (Liverpool) are very much in the hunt for places come May! Come on the Pool!

Halo 2

God my arms are sore after carrying that damn X-box all the way home the other night! The thing is pretty heavy but I carried it about a mile home cause we couldn't get a taxi outside odyssey....walking along to the tune of 'Hey, there's a guy carrying an X-box'. Part of me wanted to pretend I had no xbox while another wanted to tell the world....I kept quiet for then and shuffled along quickly using option one as my model.

Anyway, sat down to play Halo 2....hadn't a clue what it was about cause I skipped nearly an hour of cartoon/film stuff so I just began shooting and next thing it was 10 o'clock....thats 3 hours passing by without me realising and I didn't know wether I had progressed that far in the game or not. I decided to stop and save it and return to it later....If I had continued then next thing it would have been 2am and tomorrow would have been fast approaching.....and one thing I do know from my past video game playing its important to stop when your body is still in function and you haven't resorted to peeing into a bottle.

Thank you Mr Bill Gates

Last Night I went to this Microsoft developers network night, mainly because Suzie told me there was a free movie, drink and food at it and partly because I was curious.

So I got myself a free T-shirt and everything and saw a great film Dr Strangelove...fantastic....and then we had a few beers. A couple to 5 stella artois later and I was in brilliant mood, no longer aware that I wasn't supposed to be there as i had pretended to be a developer....when the draw was made. Not really aware what was going on I looked up to see Michelle beaming at me accross the counter and everyone else chanting my name.....holy god....I'd just gone and won an Xbox....and I carried it all the way home proud as punch....

The only problem is....I have a terrible hangover today....in fact it feels like a whole battalion stamping on my head!

England V Spain

England were completely played off the park by a Spanish side in this match that went on for way too many minutes. The Referee should have blown up for the end of the Game at half time because it never looked like England would have a touch after the first half display.

All the newspapers have been commenting today about the awful behaviour by the Spanish fans that targeted Englands' Black Players with uncalled for abuse, I condemn their actions and it was disgraceful to see such reactions in this day and age. BUT, it was even more disgraceful how the England players went out to butcher a talented Spanish team at the end of the second half. The players were being played off the park and Englands' only response was to try and kick them into playing badly! It was one of the worst games I have ever seen, mainly because the Englaish team looked so bad, even Wayne Rooney looking more like a Thug than the equal of any great players he is often touted to be like.

e e cummings

Spending all Afternoon in the Pub

Something I don't do very often, but today I was in the Pub at 11:30am with the powerwashers cleaning the front pavement after the night before. Tempted to start with a coffee but on second thoughts started with a wee pint of Guinness...watched the Arsenal V Tottenham game...followed by the Ireland rugby game where we watched South Africa fall to only their second defeat to our Boys in Green in history......a few hours later and I was very, very Jolly!

Goldie Lookin' Chain

Went to see these Rambling Rappers today......it was at its best confusing with special songs like 'Rollerdisco' and the Bling, Bling!

Radio

I never get bored of listening to the radio, there's always something different on whether it be people chatting or a bit of music being played. Thing is I get terribly bored of listening to the same CDs all the time, so by listening to the radio I am more likely to hear new music that up until now I had never heard.

The Mire

A Good friend of mine and probably my most regular poster Owen has set up his own blog. It houses a wee story that we is going to add to everyday and its bloody great.....keep it up mate...I'm already a fan!

Angry Alien

A great wee site that makes 30 second re-enactment animations of famous films, Best one is 'The Shining' I just loves it...I do!

E Bay

So, I was sick of my phone, its an old relic of a phone and although me and Percy have been through a lot in the last few years I felt it was time that Percy got a slight face lift. Now, I'm not advocating plastic surgery here, I don't think you should go out and remodel your face to look like a next door neighbour just cause your bored....but for a Phone like Percy (which is already plastic) its important to look at least a little happening (as in not a million years old). Percy phone has always looked a bit retro, beginning as a motorola brick, that gave up the Ghost in the new millenium, due to a lack of style. Giving way to the Nokia style....much more finger (I can find the phone numbers quickly) and pocket friendly (less bricklike).....but it just isn't working at the mo.

So, someone put the idea of getting a new phone into my head....and so I scoured the internet, finally resting on the holy of holies ebay. Now, I had looked around ebay before, most memorably to see a Friend who put their dog up for rent; promising postcards, paw prints, photos of it in a variety of poses for a year. Now this wasn't sold....but it was entertaining. And I remember reading a story about a man who sold all his possessions (including a half eaten packet of crackers) on ebay and visited the people who bought them and wrote a book (liked that idea). All these stories but I had never bought anything on there. So, I braced myself, joining the auction for a Nokia 8310 (wow....with radio), joining paypal.....and waited!

I won, and got an email telling me to ring a free-phone number and use a switch card to pay......no need for paypal.....only now to wait on its delivery and then Percy phone will be the coolest mobile in town....can't wait!

Boost Bars

I wonder what the world was like before the Biscuit Boost bar and a cup of tea? It's great having a lunchtime when you can just kick back and relax with a fantastic chocolate bar (containing glucose to wake you up) and a nice tasty cup of earl grey.....I mean....doesn't everyone do it?

Grand Theft Auto

Well, there is a new version of the game likely to come out pretty soon but I still haven't finished the first one and i've had it for a few years! Maybe its because I don't spend most of my working day playing computer games or maybe I just don't have the criminal mind to succeed! The new version is meant to be like 3 times the size of the other game......maybe it will take 6 years for me to complete it....which by that time we will probably have microchips in our arms and have no need for Sony Playstations......

what a wonderful future we have in store!

The Ulster Fry

My Saturday mornings normally consist of me waking up with a hangover, struggling into the shower (recently been just giving me luke warm water), throwing on clothes and making my way to my local Greasy Spoon for my weekly treat.

Sausages, Bacon, Eggs, Soda Bread, Potato Bread, Hash Brown, Mushrooms....the paper.....a coffee and I'm a very happy boy! Recently due to my weekly gamble I have taken to using this time tos strategise and pick my teams! It makes for a nice Saturday watching the soccer results come in with my fingers crossed!

Saturdays just wouldn't be Saturday without my lovely fry!

Liverpool 1 - Deportivo 0

Last night I sat down to watch the results service on Sky Tv for the live commentary of the Liverpool versus Deportivo European game, all hopeful of a win! Phil Thompson (ex-assistant manager) went through a understrength team sheet, without Cisse (broken leg) and Xavi Alonso (calf injury). Benitez drafted in Biscan (Biscuit as my brother refers to him) and Trajore (holy god) which did not fill my heart with gladness. But, as the game got underway it seemed that Liverpool were doing well and even went onto score a goal in the first half.

Now I switched over the channel and watched American Pie 2...hoping that by not watching the commentary I wouldn't jinx this near victory....I was sure I was going to flick the channel back to find that the score now stood at 3-1 to the Spanish team.....but I kept finding one nil Liverpool....even at the final whistle I couldn't quite believe it!....We won...and are now joint top of the group!.....horray! Just need another win and we are home and dry in the next stage!

Elections

Went to sleep listening to the American Election.....woke up listening to the American Election.....went to work listening to the American Election.....was in work listening to the American Election and Kerry still didn't win! But the fact is....not sure I really care and I'm not sure that Kerry would have been much better.

To be honest I hardly understand the American Political system and i'm not sure if I am meant to understand it. All I know is if people had to queue up for 5 hours to vote here in Belfast I'm sure people wouldn't have bothered.....so I have to take my hat off to those who queued around the block.

Wonder if political blogs will find something else to write about now?

Dry Cleaning

For the past month I had intended to leave my 3rd pair of trousers into the Dry Cleaners to get them sorted but alas I kept coming home and forgetting or just not bothering once I had got sitting down and settled! So today, I finally bit the bullet and stepped out into the cold air with my mind set on delivery and horrah....I did it.....I delivered! Just have to pick it up in a few days.

busy busy

As always at the end and start of the month my job gets very busy, trying to manage clients and targets for an invoice.....would be lovely if it could all be sorted out so these days just don't land on me.....forward planning is needed!

Time Changing

It was great waking up this morning in a slight stupor to find out that no matter how late I was getting up....it was really earlier in the day cause the clock went back! Though its far better if this happens on a workday morning as you realise that you have another hour in bed or you get up at the time on your watch only to know you have an hour to watch cartoons and get a proper breakfast!

And so this morning I have made a pot of coffee and read loads and fixed somethings that needed fixed......and now I am going to finish the short story I started yesterday....a huge step for someone who doesn't write short stories!

Knitting Blogs

Sorry to rant again about other blogs, but I don't really get the point of knitting blogs. I know only a few people who knit and they are all in their seventies and i'm not sure the know what the internet is, never mind creating a blog and swapping patterns. Maybe thats what its for, maybe the worlds patterns have multiplied due tosharing on these on-line blogs. What is the world coming to?

Holloween

A bit of Brautigan themed poetry and prose for Holloween. He is a wonderful painter of words, an imagination that rivals many!

Changed my look

when I started with blogger about a month or so ago I just picked the first template that appealed to me at the time, I was in such a hurry to get commenting on things! So now that I have had a bit of time I decided to make that jump and pick a new templete. Of course it means that I have to add my external links again....but that will hardly take any time....though couldn't be bothered yet!

Learned today: Never eat too much chicken burger when you have a hungover stomach!

Trash Can Sinatras

Was listening to the radio earlier today and heard an acoustic session from a band I hadn't heard of and I liked it. I was going to as usual just sit and think wouldn't it be great to hear more, when a lightbulb flashed in my head and said 'do a google search you muppet'....and so I did and the link is above if you want to hear them too!

Printer

I was thinking of buying a printer for my laptop and went around and priced them yesterday in a few places. So today on the way to work I mentioned this to my mate Mel, who stopped me half way and said why don't you just buy my printer. I asked him, whats wrong with it? (as you do) and he explained that there was nothing wrong with it, only that it is not compatible with his new operating system for the Mac (so silly).....so he said with a flourish....that'll be a tenner! So, for an ink jet printer i think thats pretty good value!

Absolutely Amazing

Haiku News

This weblink displays the days main headlines as a Haiku.....its great!

Getting my Hair Cut

I just got my hair cut today in a barbers here in Belfast and it looks great, but I know that I probably won't bother keeping it like this. Instead it will grow unruly and long and I will quickly forget about my good intentions of getting it cut again soon as I always do.....

Thing is I don't really like the process of getting my Hair cut....sort of like the dentists.....I never know what to say to the man/woman cutting my hair and am jealous of people who can just sit down and start a conversation with them. Don't get me wrong its not that I don't like talking, I have no problem striking up an animated conversationabout everyday things with taxi-drivers, people on bus-stops, bar-men, women in fact most situations except in a Hairdressers. I just dry up, grimace and look pensive while they 'get it over with'.

John Peel RIP

The Godfather of BBC Radio passed away today with a heart attack. His favourite tune 'Teenage Kicks' by the undertones has been played all day on the airwaves and just shows his incredible influence.

I remember my A-Level exam years listening late into the night to John Peels' gravelled voice introducing each band in turn...he was fantastic and made me feel at ease in such a stressful time. Sad to see him go!

Glastonbury have renamed the tent for new bands after him, a fitting tribute to a true legend.

Black Books

Just bought the Black Books DVD Series one and can't wait to sit down and watch it! Its all about a bookshop in England where lots of crazy goings on happen.....

Ohh and I booked my practical driving test today....they will call me with a date soon (its that busy).....so better get prepared so that soon I'll be driving like a man who can drive....woo hoo!

Another win!

Didn't I just go and pick another 6 teams that won me money.....lallalalalaallalala....Picking up the money tonight......hopefully will walk away with a few hundred again?.....What a lucky streak for us.....surely its going to change soon!

International Rules

Ireland hammered the Auzzies in the international rules series.......International Rules is probably one of the most violent field sports out there, a cross between Galeic Football and Aussie Rules Football! Its mad seeing these tiny Irish footballers up against 7 ft Aussie Giants who spend every day lifting kangaroos over their heads! But the Aussies can't kick for shite and are a bit slow so the Irish team just kicked points with ease and ran away from their hairey arms!

Hurrah!

Goonies

Bloody Brilliant film.....Got to check it out!

Keys

Bloody left my keys in the house today.....was having a few bevvies in my mates house and needed some crushed ice so went home and got my hammer and crushed the ice.......then continued drinking and went out and came back to my mates.....about 2am i took a notion to go home and sleep in my nice warm bed and so i left and stood in front of my door.....now wheres my keys? mmmmmm bastard

So I slept on the couch and had to hang around all day till I went home to my Mum and Dads.....got a change of clothes and then the next day back up to Belfast and to the landlord for the spare key!.....my house was so nice when i got back!

Moral: don't be stupid, leave spare key in mates house and another in work just in case!

Twenty Major

Yesterday i did a quick search through blogger.com to find some Irish posters, as although the standard of bloggers out there is good....there is nothing like reading someone from your own country rant and rave about things in general. And I stumbled upon a bloody hilarious Blog called Twenty Major, with its daily rants about all things in Dublin and Ireland. Now I don't live in Dublin but I have been there enough times and know enough about it to laugh my cacks off at this! Today he is going mad about the kids in the playground and about how they never go out any more and stay in playing computer games.

Movieoke

There is a new craze sweeping Belfast! It is a little like Karaoke only it doesn't just involve singing, instead you are required to act out a whole scene from a movie of your choice! Its pretty funny and is perfect for people who are more than fully aware that they cannot sing......Its a regular night in the Empire on a Monday and I can see its only a matter of time before it catches on elsewhere!

Ohh and I bought a wetsuit in a charity auction for 100 buckeroos......so theres no excuse now when I go surfing next time!.....I have to stand on the damn board I really must!

Theory Test

Ok...so I went out last night to the empire comedy night and ok.....I drank quite a bit more than i previously planned and ok......I had to get up early this morning to take the theory driving test and ok......I had to cram a few more facts into my cranium before it started and ok.....and ok....I did overclick on one of the observation sections (its like a video clip that tests our reactions....and I clicked a bit too much at one point).....so I was sure that I was in for some bad news when I was handed my scores......

But.....I BLOODY PASSED THE THING

I got 30 out of 35 in the Multiple choice part......pass mark 30....so skin of my teeth
I got 60 out of 70 in the Observation part pass mark 44.....so bloody trounced that one despite overclicking on one.....

So....roll up driving.....this has been one lucky week! Hopefully I can win a few more pound gambling this weekend!

Shepards Pie

I have moved on from mashed potatoes, in fact I have leaped so far I fear for my ability to find my way back to where I started.........I have made Shepards pie......now it did turn out a little better than my first attempt at Lasgane (i.e. didn't look like itself).....but I will perservere and I will be a competent cook in the end! Next task is an omelete......surely then I will be making the cheapest but tastiest dinners and breakfast around........step back world!

Blog Surfing!

I Have been using Blog Explosion a few times now, searching through a vast array of Blogs to:

a) find something interesting to read that is on my wavelength (not always so easy)
b) to stimulate more visits to my site.

I spent a few hours at a time trawling through words but have been seriously dissapointed to only find 3 blogs out of at least 200 that intrested me enough to bookmark them and wish to go back. Now i understand that not everyone wants to read a fist full of unpunctuated ramblings from me on a day to day.....so I am going to start adding pictures for a bit of variety.....and also.....people might not get all my references.....so will add a few links.. But the ammount of blogs aimed specifically at the american political debate is crazy (maybe because it is central to peoples thoughts.....and it is a wonderfully free medium to exchange views.....) and can be tiring after visiting about 100 of them and blogs about newborn babies gets a bit tiring......and the ammount of blogs created by women.... All I wanted after surfing for far too long was a blog written by anything but a woman (Aliens would be welcome), which discussed everyday things and made me chortle at least once...ohh and was from the UK.......Anybody got any suggestions!

Signapore Noodles

I have never eaten in a Thai restraunt, or eaten Thai food before so I was quite unsure of what to expect when I went to Lemongrass for a meal with some people I hardly knew. I looked at the menu and did not recognise any of the dishes that were available until I spied the Signapore Noodles. I had read a book (Mc Carthy's Bar) by an author called Pete Mc Carthy in which he travels around Ireland with the task of not going past a bar bearing his surname......a lot tougher than you think when you realise that Mc Carthy is one of Irelands most popular surnames. Anyway, his diet during his trip tended to consist of Ham and Cheese toasties (or Ham and cheese specials.....as they are often refferred to in many a pub in Ireland).....and Signapore Noodles (which are significantly difficult for him to find).......

He has recently passed away to the other place where along with Christopher Reeve he is discussing the merits of a Ham and Cheese special and a pint of guinness. So in homage to him i had Signaore Noodles and I have to say i was more than pleasantly surprised. I am not normally a regular noodle consumer as I often find them bland......but this was wonderful and it contained suffiencient pork and prawn for two servings....so I was a happy eater!........So thanks to Pete Mc Carthy RIP I have a new dish of choice.......try it and see!

Winner!

Got back from surfing with the vague recollection of my mate Mark mentioning that he wanted us to start a syndicate for betting on the football scores.....I checked my mobile and he had gone ahead and chosen a bet that 6 teams would win on Saturday (today) at 40/1 and I had agreed to put a fiver to his tenner......

The Teams were:

1. Arsenal (certain winners.....haven't lost a game in 50 odd games)
2. Everton (winning a lot one-nils recently and are in good form....so slightly expected)
3. Bolton (Win more than they lose now....so 50/50)
4. Leeds (Have mixed fortunes in the lower league but can win on their day)
5. Stockport (Bottom of the 3rd Division and been on a losing streak.....i.e. no chance)
6. Boston (Haven't heard of them....thought that was in America)
   

So obviously expected to be pissing our money away.....so got in the car and stuck on the radio to hear the newscaster announce that Arsenal, Everton and Bolton were winning......but no more information about the lower teams cause normally no-one cares! Got home and ran to the internet.......checked the results.....Arsenal 3-1 against Villa, Everton won as well....Bolton won even though tight last few mins........mmmm this is tasty.....Leeds won by a lucky goal......Wheres stockport.....mmm...ohh there ohhh bottom of league ehhh......they won....holy smokes.....now....what league is boston in......quick google search........2 nil..........happy days......horrah they won......£400 between us.......£200 each.......lalalallalalaalal

I have won 2 quid on a scratch card once.......and a cuddy toy in a fair ground.......and now I'm running around £200 richer......holy smokes......I have a feeling this gambling lark might have to continue......I have to choose the teams this week.....so the pressures on!

Back to Surfing!

Finally got up off my lazy but and headed up the Coast with Suzie and Michelle to got surfing.....went and hired a wetsuit so for the first time I didn't feel like a huge waterbottle.....as I used to wear a wetsuit that was far too big and when the water entered it I ended up flopping along with no control! So obviously i thought with everything fitting i would stand on the board for the first time....mmm no luck! The waves were mushy (like peas) and I think I caught 5 waves in the space of about an hour and a half...I caught one of those waves in the first 5 mins and nearly got up on the board only to slip at the wrong time......The rest of the time was spent attempting to surf little trickle waves that beforehand looked massive (caused by a mixture of having no glasses and mother nature playing games with me) and avoiding drowning as two or three waves came at the same time! but it was refreshing and at least it created another habit to continue.....

Now all I need to do is start running again and doing weights again.....just gave both up when I moved a few months ago as well as trading my gum membership in for sky television and so now I am the most unfit man imaginable.....like a blob with arms and legs!

Corriander Pesto

The other week I did a quick shopping trip to Tesco with my mate cause he had the car and I stocked up a royal ammount of food.....the usual meat and veg and then i remembered.....feck what about the pesto.. So I ran with my arms flapping (like a swan) trying to find my pesto but all I could find was pesto with olives and pesto with corriander......I went for corriander cause it looked a bit like the other one! I was sure I was in for a taste explosion of exotic proportions.....

So it sat in my fridge for a week.....which meant I forgot i bought the wrong kind of pesto....so when i couldn't find anything in the fridge worth debating....so i grabbed the pesto jar (wish i could make my own) and the pasta and impatiently put it altogether.....

I looked at it.....it smelled funny.....then i tasted it with gusto.....and nearly fell over with a rush of sickness.......which i held back......i shouted at the jar and at the bowl of pasta and then threw them both into the bin.......the B**tards at tesco have made a terrible conncotion that i wouldn't even wish on an enemy!......

So be wary, don't go for the exoticly labelled jar in the supermarket unless you are prepared to be severly dissapointed!

Blog Explosion

Just found this site and registered with them.....you get visitors for visiting other sites? Its cool!....you should check it out! you just spend a while looking at other blogs and then you get guaranteed visitors and i have already got someone who has liked me so much they have blog marked me (i.e. kept me listed)......

Also listed with this ls blog site.....god.....i will now see the visitors multiply!

Burned Down

If you are like me, there are some mornings you wake up and hope that your work has been burnt down, especially on those days that it is raining really heavily.......well, this morning my friend Brenda found out that the offices of her work were caught up in a fire. One of the worst fires in Belfast for a few years (remember its a ceasfire now and Belfast is very small)....It destroyed a Waterstones bookshop and a jewellers and a whole pile of offices. She works in a solicitors so theres loads of paper documents gone.....its hard to see how they will ever get them back!

Think I'm not going to wish for work to be burned down any more....don't want to tempt fate!

SPACED

I went out on a limb and bought a box set without ever having seen the television show that is featured in it, so i have two series (plural...how?) bought with my own hard earned money that I could potentially not like. I was going on the word of my friend, flatmate and all round comedy buddy Colin (not double-chinned) Dardis, who said 'it's great'......and so I was confident!

Now, I also had in my hand the first season (american word for series) of 24 and i got the 'doubts' (pacing back and forth, scratching my head and looking at prices). i hadn't seen 24 and I hadn't got a personal testimonial from my comedy buddy who instead said 'my sister has it'...so i had to put it back with the intention of lending it from his sister and watching a few before going out on another limb.

Anyhow, bought Spaced, took it home and laughed so much i fell asleep and missed the phone calls from Colin telling me he was in the Empire Pub at something known as 'movieokie' (not spelled right....but basically a mix between movies and karaoke without the music and the japanese)....instead i dribbled and made my way to my real bed!......Seriously Spaced is funny so if you get a chance to buy it....then buy it cause its worth it! Still haven't seen 24 so I don't know (anyone else seen it?) ohhh and I have the definative Collectors Edition! (means it has a cover like a spoof star wars film)

Have a nice Cup of Tea and a sit down

Was just surfing the internet today when I came accross the following site after linking from the Guardian Linkblog (its cool, it gives you links to unusual sites and those of news interest)....Its a website devoted to liking tea....which I know I do! Check out: Have a nice cup of tea and a sit down Its a website even my granny would love with reviews about biscuits you can buy in the local supermarkets and the great debate about wether jaffa cakes are biscuits... I mean how can one live without this question being answered?

After I sent this link out to my many friends, I got a response with the following link (now this is too horrendous to see on a full stomach) mmmm.......danger, high voltage!

Superman has gone!

Poor old Christopher Reeve joined the almighty after nine years of struggle after falling off a horse and being paralysed in 1995. He will always be remembered as the guy who made lots of kids run around the playground with their hoods up and their coats flapping behind them!.....Such a shame!

Football

Great to see Ireland put together a strong performance against France.....was hoping that Andy Reid would nick it and it was a shame that Morrison got taken off cause he was pretty strong!

Was dissapointed to see England do so well against Wales....was hoping to see an upset there!

Portrait of an artist as a young man

I bought this book in a second hand bookshop today for £3:50......I thought it would be hard reading but it has turned out to be not so hard to get into......its about boarding school experiences so far and I find it easy to relate due to my own time in such an institution....even though it is at a different time!

Felt quite intellectual reading such a book and enjoying it!

Menagerie

There's a Great wee bar in Belfast called the Menagerie, its one of these pubs that you can just relax in. Me and my friend suzie went for a drink in it as she had never been, I had but it had been a while and we were the only people there for a while watching a tiny jack russell run around chasing a ball......it was cool.......you don't see that type of thing in belfast too often!

Also went up to Jordanstown (my old university campus) today to see what changes had been made since I had left! Quite a lot of small aesthetic changes.....but i realised that the main things were still the same.....felt a bit strange walking down to my old department of Communication science! I think if I went back I would feel like I hadn't progressed!......it sort of put any ideas of going back to university out of my head!

Broadband

I am a customer with NTL broadband and haven't been able to use my internet connection for the past few weeks..... its a disgrace that everytime I ring to explain these faults that i get put on hold for ages and then i have been told that they don't deal with it only to be put through to more holding time (feckin adverts and some tuneless music). ....it very annoying! Hopefully I can fix it soon otherwise I'm going to just cancel the service and not bother with internet connection at home....instead just use it here in work! I bloody hate these touch tone systems....just talking to someone will take a hell of a lot less time!

$olpugid $pring$

Just found a really mad writer amongst these blogs and he writes with a style that I have attempted a few times but he has just carried it on! It manic and crazy but absolutely entertaining...check him Smoking Joe out on the $olpugid $pring$

Fargo!

Watched that old Coen Brothers Classic Fargo last night and loved every minute of it! Frances Mc Dormand was amazing as the female cop....think she won an oscar for it! Alongside William H Macy and Steve Buscemi (who I think is a great actor)....it just oozed class!
I really enjoy Coen brother films, they always have a lot of quirkiness about them....like O'Brother where art thou (fantastic theme music), the Man who wasn't there (So many strong silent scenes) and the Big Lebowski (the Dude is a wonderful character)

It's getting

Bloody colder! I had to put on the heating for only the third time since I moved in last night....and the chill is getting a bit out of hand......actually felt a bit cold this morning when I got out of bed....and boy did I wish I could go back to the scratcher! Nothing worse than putting your foot out of bed and feeling cold.....Its been raining quite a lot as well!

The Caffine is too strong!

I drank way too mug Tea this morning, to the extent that when I was chatting on the phone to some clients I kept forgetting what I was saying cause my voice was going all nervous and was taking over my brain. And to think I stopped drinking coffee in work and switched to Tea because it was supposed to make a difference! .......We have to be careful of the caffine.....it can over power us and make us do stupid things!

Breaking News: Bryan and Kerry Mc Fadden to split

Top headline in the papers today as I browse my Sunday purchases!......I mean....who cares?

Ulster Museum

In all my years living in Belfast I had never made my merry way along to the Ulster Museum, but because of a few friends being up from Dublin I decided it was about time. Now, I have visited museums in many other cities on my holidays and have always found it to be a great experience while recovering from the drink or just waiting till the next one.....but I didn't realise I could have the same feelings in my own city! And....its free! They currently have an exhibition of Conflict in Northern Ireland which displays a wide range of artefacts from the early centuries......fascinating!...They even have these phone things that you can listen to.....like massive mobile phones!

There is an art exhibition at it currently and I am resolved to go and visit it sometime this week just to get some perspective on things. Good on you Northern Ireland.....love the way you can be surprised by a place even after living in it for so long!

Jam and Cheese

Had a nice coffee the other day with a friend Michelle. All was going swimmingly, we were talking about life at the moment and those usual chatty things but, then it came to ordering some food...She ordered a Bagel and I (being the innocent minded fool that I am) thought nothing more about it!

Bagels in this particular cafe often come with cream cheese and jam (raspberry) and I always felt these gave you the option of one or the other. Alas, when I looked down at the bagel after a few minutes chatting I noticed that both condiments had been added to the one area, thus creating a mess of jam and cheese. I was sure this was an error until she lifted the bagel and happily (she was smiling) munching at the whole thing! She noticed my shock and was quite taken aback by my horror.......even offering me some 'just to try it'......I did nibble a corner and still felt a twinge of sickness.......

I mean.....Jam and Cheese are from completely different ends of the food spectrum and should never mingle on anyones table.....but who am I to Judge! That is the beauty of freedom.....people could eat mud and you couldn't stop them!

Bananas in the Cupboard

make everything else taste like bananas......all the bread I have in the flat now tastes of bananas, which is a bit annoying when you have made a ham and mustard sandwich hoping to taste the mustard and the ham...only to have bananas! I reckon its a learning experience though, not to put the bananas in with the bread in the future!....well and truely learned...the hard way!

Wheely Bin

Our office has a corrugated roof and it does not have a hung celing, because 'the boss' wanted us as a design company to look industrial! Hence we get all sorts of noises from the roof anytime anything unusual happens...for example, Rain (I live in Ireland remember where rain is a constant) falls on the roof and plays a little tune, and then it falls like a stone and makes thunder....and I can't hear myself never mind the client on the other side of the phone!

The funniest noise we have is when a Plane flys overhead (we are based near an airport...cheap land....getting a recurring theme? ) it sounds like a wheely-bin (a bin on wheels) trundling along the roof...and I can't help but look outside to see if this (imaginary) bin would fall onto the pavement below.....but never does it fall!

It may take a while for someone to realise the benefits of a hung celeing.....but I wouldn't count on it!

Getting Paid

I so love getting paid.......I so love the last day of the month....although it gets more busier with invoice stuff.......I loves it.....plenty of smackeroonies!......lalalalalalalalal

Home and Sick

Stayed at home in bed yesterday with the sniffles and delighted by the daytime coverage of television programmes shown by Channel 4. Friends is followed by a whole host of American shows with a particular purple patch showing Frasier and Cheers in the afternoon! It makes me think seriously about going back to University.....the old days of watching GMtv, Richard and Judy, Countdown and Neighbours was like a religion....without the spiritualism!

I've also got this new channel on Freeview called Abc1 which shows a whole pile of American TV sitcoms that have never made it British tv before....now some of them are crap, but its far better than watching the news all day!

Again!

Sat and watched a Liverpool performance and once again almost cried with fustration! There must be something wrong with their heads to play so badly against Greek opposition, though Greek teams can't be sniffed at after the European Championship victory.

One thing I want to know is, what has happened to once one of the best prospects in world football....Harry Kewell? Its as if he has weights around his feet now.....I dunno! Its as if Liverpool can take a player who once set the world alight and just stifle him....while Arsenal does the opposite with ordinary players! ahh well we always have the UEFA cup success to look back on.....(joke)

And to give us a serve kick in the teeth, Waynetta Rooney goes and scores a hat-trick in his first match in the Champions League for the scum buckets! It just can't get much worse!

Stale Bread!

Just had some sandwiches with slightly stale bread.....it was annoying but I could still eat them! Nothing better than fresh bread though....straight out of the oven like my Granny used to make years ago! I don't think its that difficult to make, last year I was in Germany and my friends made Bread every evening, ready for the next morning! Such a great idea that i might even start doing it myself.......sometime when I could be bothered of course!

Tescos make a bread that doesn't go stale after a whole week.....there's definately something wrong there don't you think? Wonder what they add to it?

The Farm

There is a new relaity television show on Channel 5 (where else) that has placed a variety of C grade celebrities on a farm and challenges them to cope with looking after all the animals for a month or two! Unlike a lot these type shows this one is quite entertaining and features such stars of the stage and screen as Magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie Magee (already starting to shuffle cards and do some tricks) and Vanilla Ice (already annoying)....it has made for funny watching!
Funniest part so far has been seeing shamed footballers Stan Collymore proclaiming that 'Black people cannot be racist'? which stimulated a heated argument with the Vanilla man!

Hopefully theres more of this to come!

News Breaking: Just checked the site and it seems Paul Daniels has already dissapeared....leaving due to the friction after the aforementioned argument! See its already catching your attention!

Super Size Me

Went to see 'Super Size Me' in the cinema and along with reading 'Fast Food Nation' it has all just lifted the sunglasses from my eyes in relation to food. I mean its scarey what goes on in the process of meat in America and I think it has made me not so much want to give it up but know excactly where the meat I eat comes from.....so I am resolved to find a Belfast Butchers and use them from now on. The usual supermarket shopping is a product of laziness as is visiting the fast food companies.....it is just a mindless process and i'm not sure I'm ready to sit back and allow it to happen anymore. But, as with all these things i am likely to just keep it up for a few months and then decide that I might need to go back to the original methods.......Anyway, i'm going to buy Sausages (snags) and have mashed potatoes with them tonight.....just for starters!

Mc Donalds have a website dedicated to the countering of the supersize me film and it is quite tame actually just blandly re-inforcing the lack of effort it puts into worrying about what people think.

Going to bed last night i put on Radio 5 Live and listened to a similar debate raging about Mars decision to take the King Size version of the Mars Bar of the shelves due to growing public fears on health. The thoughts within Mars believed that the King Size version was excessive and there was no need for it, it just encouraged overeating. The reaction of the general public phoning in was quite surprising...most dissapointed that their favourite chocolate bar was now smaller and shouting about the disgrace of Mars taking away the consumers freedom of choice.

I think the same argument can be made about Mc Donalds, we don't have to eat their food but with more education about the harm it can do like through this film, then we can make an educated decision. Taking away fast food wouldn't solve the problem, but teaching us what is in the food will!

The Worst All-Ireland Final

The worst All-Ireland Final in living memory was played today with Kerry (the kings of the game) beating Mayo a bit too easily for comfort. At least Tyrone won a minor championship to make up for the failures in the senior team this year! I just couldn't watch the senior game it was that bad and just ended up serving beer to the dissapointed punters in my parents pub. The game was so bad that when Mayo scored a goal early on the whole place went mad just to celebrate a rare bit of excitement in a dull proceedings!Roll on 2005! Maybe Monaghan will do a bit better than a defeat to Longford.

Being at Ease

At home in Monaghan in Bandit country, Irelands answer to Mexico! So, have said hello to the parents, patted the dog, drank a gallon of tea, watched a few reality television shows and now I am at ease!

I'm actually on a really slow connection which makes you realise how bloody impatient we humans are now, that I can't wait an extra 2 seconds for a picture to show up on my screen.......I need instant gratification!....but theres more to life....isn't there! Haven't a drink in a few nights and I feel so much better....maybe I will remove alcohol from the equation for good and win a battle and a war!....though...hang on I did sample a really strange type of ale my dad found in a supermarket called 'speckled hen' so I'm lying! Damnn I was doing so well for a second.....maybe I can start from now!

Saturday Morning

Woke up this morning with a splitting headache....for once not after a night on the tiles....so maybe my body was in recovery....with the realisation i couldn't stay in bed for ever but had a driving lesson.....so i scraped myself from bed and staggered like a zombie around until it was time to leave and get breakfast!....
Sat down in Maggie Mays (botanic avenue) and had a filled soda (first in ages cause i've been cutting back) only for my phone to ring....my driving instructor was ill! Part of me felt sorry for him while the other part was overjoyed at not having to push my brain to any limits.....i'm sorry Paul (driving instructor) but I was suffering from a headache! Horray!

I Gots Myself a Reader

Hey, imagine my surprise this afternoon when I opened up my inbox to find a little message to alert me that someone had posted on my blog and I didn't even know them. I was gobsmacked so hard I fell over and scrambled amongst the dirty litter bin that lives below my desk here in beautiful gorgeous work.......she (yes....she!) left a wee bit in support of two of my discoveries this week and I feel accepted and loved.....she believes in my love of non-face cleaning and kevin costner syndrome....in fact she advocates it..... The reason one is so surprised is that the only people I have posting on it are dear friends, one is my flatmate Colin (a.k.a colon) who by the way isn't double chinned......and Cinta who understands me far too often!......

So I extend a hand of gratitude to my new found friend A Murray or Hagfish to her friends (I suppose).....I shall leave little messages on your place as well....and then I might go and give other people this beautiful feeling of love......love.....love.....love....love (beatles in my head.....get them out!)

Face Grace

Realised last night in a conversation with a few friends that I never wash my face.....I have a shower every morning of the week and as usual I just wash my hair and body and stuff but don't bother with my face....the water spray sorts that out! So, they said to me that it was terrible and that I should use an exfoliator but I couldn't go to Boots and buy it myself......I have enough problems buying shaving foam and things like that.....so moisturiser and face wash would be a step too far! Then I got advice about going to Gordons chemists instead of boots because they don't have a perfume mist barring you from the rest of the cosmetic goods...like boots do...and there are less orange ladies waiting for someone to buy!

Kevin Costner Syndrome

Last night, I returned from watching Dodgeball in the cinema (not overly impressed, felt it watched like a spoof of Mighty Ducks would be like) to lie back and watch Open Range on DVD. Was in a dilemma in the Xtravision not really sure what I wanted to see when i just happened upon this recent Kevin Costner film. Little did I know that higher beings were at work!

So, I was half way through what is basically a slow meander through the wild west with a few cowboys played by Robert Duvall (Kevin's bud) and Kev in typical Costner typecast...a lonely hero who wins the girl....when I realised I was enjoying it. And then my mind did a little searching in its filofax only to realise that i tend to like Kevin Costner films....Dances with wolves, Untouchables, Prince of Thieves, JFK, The Postman, Field of Dreams...even Waterworld (slight blip with The Bodyguard)......in fact I was nearly sure i was a fan... Now at this I began to sweat. Surely people have been shunned from local villages for less and I need my city cause it provides income and a place to live, but the sirens I heard were surely Fire Engines and I didn't smell smoke....so I was ok! So I settled down to sleep...gradually fitting together an even bigger puzzle!
I also like Tom Hanks films as well, especially those directed by Speilberg......and this realisation made me want to tinker with my brain.....surely there is something wrong. But alas, i think I am just going to have to accept the truths of my life and move on.....careful of picking up any more uncool hollywood heros.......keeping strictly to a diet of De Niro and Pacino, with a bit Nickleson thrown in for good measure!......Save me lord!

4 am

Woke up this morning, went straight to the shower, washed, and brushed the teeth.....then went to go and get dressed, but first I checked my watch.......4 am....4 am.....4 bloody am......I just fell back into bed again!!....no wonder I was tired! I had only got into bed at 1am after watching Jackass 'the movie'.....ohh such a laugh it is to see the 'wee man' kick himself in the head....see those lunatics wedgie themselves from a tree! Anyway, woke up usual time and closed my eyes, resolved to get the later bus even if it meant I would be a bit late! Ended up making Ham sandwiches again cause I was running a bit late.

Well, thats ages ago now......just checked my Holiday time....I have 11 days to take before Xmas which is about 3 days every month......that means I can take a few weeks off work!.....just need to time exactly when to take them! Was thinking of going to prague in November but I might just go to Barcelona and watch the Celtic game or maybe go see a Liverpool match.

Ham Sandwiches

Getting a bit sick of Ham sandwiches despite the fact they are very easy to make, today I had ham and cheese and mayo....they were luvley! I think I might just start eating ham and cheese sandwiches for a while....and then branch into tuna and onion....and maybe even salad!?!?!

Heard of a great thing to do....take a cheese sandwich and make french toast with it.....and then have bacon with it! Marks flatmate Laura makes it and it sounds devine....absolutely devine!

Manchester United

Kangaroo, skippy, skippy, kangaroo......Gits......Liverpool were absolutely dire, playing too deep inviting the scumbags onto us and then letting them take pot-shots at us all day long! Liverpool looked very bad...they conceded a lot of possession and just didn't get out of their own half!

Ohh well, there is always next time......maybe?

Potato Sundays

Struggled along and bought some Sunday things.....had some Southern Fried chicken fillets in the fridge and decided to buy potatoes to go with them. Now, you must understand that in 7 years living in Belfast I have never extended myself to the job of making potatos (Ed: boiling not making) for dinner, even just for myself. But I decided enough was enough and fired myself up for the task, out came the pot, plink went the kettle and in went the spuds.......a lot of pacing and 3 games of FIFA 2004 and a bit of ovening of the chicken and piff paff poof! A chicken surprise with spuddies was ready...fire on the butter...and munchy munch....I was happy as a lamb in spring hay!

A wee bit of spuddies left over to fire up my culinary skills tomorrow!

Poetic Splendor

Upstairs in Whites Tavern on this evening of writing myself and my esteemed compadre Colin 'double chinned' Dardis stormed the audience with our sparkling hosting.....t'was a blast! Jane Bailey and Gerard Mc Keown did us very proud and performed well as our first two featured poets.

Afterwards we all sat and drank merrily....me on the Magners....recovering from a Tennants (can't find a link for it) overkill from the night before.....and the rest on more sociable mixtures. Ended up in a number of conversations:

• The benefits of burning hair off ones chest rather than conventional shaving
• Chinese Horoscopes (apparantly I'm a Tiger/Horse)
• Wether Farenheit is a retro aftershave
• The politics of goats

So, as you can see.....we are highly entertaining! So come along and see us on the 3rd Saturday of every month at 7pm! It would be great to meet you finally!

Freckles

Freckles in the morning,
wrinkle from her nose
and greet me smiling
as I tickle her toes,
'hello toes', I say
as her freckles
wrinkle from her nose
to her toes,
underneath those
warm bedclothes

Anchorman

Holy Jaysus batman, went to see this film and laughed my rocks off.....Its a fine display of cheesiness in the extreme and I think everyone with a sound mind and body should catch this fine flick whenever they can! Cameos from Ben Stiller as a mexican newscaster in a remodelling of the Gangs of New York scene steeler just adds to this smacking spoof! Incredible with a Capital I!

12 Angry Men

Just blinked my way through the day and then couldn't be arsed going into town so just laid down on the sofa and watched '12 Angry Men' a great wee DVD all telling the story of how 12 jurors spend a day talking about a case.....its a captivating performance and very refreshing even now.

Everything done.....almost

Woke early and bounced down to the Theory Test.....not really ready but ready enough....into the room where a monkey/chimp man said sit down and read a sheet.....30 mins later the monkey/chimp man said that there was ' A Probeeeelem wit di sysdem'....'wud u wait till 9am'.....so we waited and then he said 'Nuttin to do wit me but di sysdem is down and der ain't no test taday'......so I gave him my details cause 'you wud b refundedded henceforth'......

So, I bounces a little towards Belfast city (not of rock and roll) and popped into an opticians...first one I saw and I was ravaged by a beautiful sales lady/optician with long glowing hair.....she picked out my glasses in a swiftnes that baggared belief and trounced me up the stairs to her seeing eye lair. I was prodded and ponced.....and she had her readings. I wished to take a call and run off and she duely obliged.......so I did... I rang work sorted what needed to be sorted and scarpered back home to meet the NTL engineers at my house.

The NTL engineers brandished their tools and bullied the lines into action....broadband is alive....but no computer sadly!....

I turned on my heel and bounced back into town....straight to specsavers....found specs and paid for them....with perscruption from the lioness at hand.....scarpered again!

Bought food....brought it home and filled the fridge watched a short element of flickering tv....and leapt into the town again to pick up the new specs......

Out of the bag in specsavers, they looked splendid, on the face a bit blurry but sure thats ok....my eyes will get used to them.....but have i got used to them? no!.....haven't so need to go back tomorrow!

Long day, very tired........landed home and watched Liverpool win their game....well heard them win their game via Skysports....(ohh yeah...getting sky in on the 16th October....can't wait!).....Watched Ghost World.....bit bizzaro.....but good enough to eat...so I ate it!.....then bed!

Day off tomorrow

You know that feeling that you should be getting when you know that you have the next day off and you should be feeling absolutely amazing and getting ready to break free and wave your hands about.....but I have a theory test tomorrow.....and so I must study and I have to get up at 8:30am.....so there is no way I can wave my hands even in the direction of the bottle of beer in my fridge....and anyway I am on Detox cause of the weekend.....even my shakes had shakes and the shakes on those had shakes as well.....

Celtic got beaten by Barcelona sadly with Larsson scoring a great goal against his old team,....and the Chelsea won their opening game.....i likes the Chelsea.....as long as the scum don't win.

No Specs....No Idea

Its feckin annoying to live your life without specs or eyesight.....its strange how important eye-sight can be and how much you depend upon it and take it for grant. Due to dancing in abnormal ways during the weekend I lost my specs and now am blind like a little mole!

So, my lesson is today.....Abnormal dancing is only for those who wish to look abnormally.

Champagne Bubbles

Champagne Bubbles make me tingle,
Sleeping around makes me single,
a bubble bath is a nice place to mingle,
be single, just mingle, just tickle,
be single, make her tingle, just mingle,
Be

Jack Dee

The New Jack Dee show on Monday Nights is great.....tonight it was Ardal O'Hanlon and he just made my stomach cackle with laughter from start to finish. I think his sit-com My Hero is a pile of pants but his individual standup is one of the best in my opnion......humble as it is!

Ohh Kevin Mc Aleer is playing at the Belfast Festival @ Queens, can't wait till that gig!

Tears on my window

I watch the sea mists hang impatiently over the mountains…
biding their time inching ever so slowly preparing to empty a flash flood making Playgrounds childless, Paved street puddles stage their skipping water ballet,

A panoramic ocean view fierce with its watertight white teeth crunching and swallowing whole strands of beach,
Birds flanked by sheets of rain being given a water tunnel guide to their destiny,
Trees provide an awning of shelter to midday joggers unable to outrun a natural storm in a race that’s impossible to train for..
Freshly ploughed fields once full of carefully laboured patterns which patch all of this countryside suddenly muddle and merge into a watercolour painted from memory of how it may have existed before…..
You can’t escape,
You can’t outrun, outplan, out manouvre, outstrategise this water when you are outside in its rain……
so do what I do and just watch and wait.

Sunday Sunny Day Sunday

Aghhhhhh my head........aghh my whole body.....aghhh I have sore knees.......
I got home at 8am this morning.....the others are still partying in their flat and I am off to bed.....

snooze....

woke up again at 12:30pm....sat and watched all the television on Channel 4..... ohh yeah....stood on my glasses so had to get out of my pit and do a sniffer dog search for the old ones that fall apart all the time.....finally rose about 3 or so and watched the results on Skysports news and did the mopping and everything! Went up to see my mate Mark about 8pm and he was just stretched out on the sofa still drunk cause they had been drinking all day....I couldn't have done that!.....

Went to bed hoping that the demons wouldn't keep me awake.....although I had just watched Alien Resurrection and so was likely to be awoken by Sigourney Weaver bald and angry!

Driving like Nigel Mansell

Wow, still hungover from last night and only with a cup of coffee keeping me going I was ready to cancel my driving test.....standing in the street waiting for the instructor who was a little late....but with a hangover it felt like days......I was going to tell him i had an urgent appointment and cancel....but I didn't....the little voice in my head said 'Go on'....so I did

And I had the best driving lesson ever in the world.....all my manouveres were spot on....I even did a new parrallel park.....it was amazing!....Maybe it is the answer to all my questions.....drink!?!.....Maybe it isn't the answer to any! Anyway.....had a great day skipping up the road...to the pub....and I stayed in it most of the day....or I moved between a few during the day! Smarties may have the answer but Drink definately asks the questions! Would you rather be Bob Holness or George a father with two kids doing a degree in Sociology living in Shrewsbury?

Slammin' Slam

Just went to see the Laganside Poetry Slam in the Duke of York in Belfast and was completely blown away by the standard and completely inspired with every thing I saw. Wasn't the best sound due to the venue and things......but it was without doubt one of the best nights this year.

The winner was a poet from Newcastle called Scott Turrell, who is one of the best Slammers in the United Kingdom at this moment in time. He looks a bit like Phil Jupitus but sounds like Ant and Dec when they have reached maturity.....anyway....ended up staggering home via Esperatos.....an incredibly wonderful Kebab shop that lights the sky at any time of night.....likely to be the only place open at 4am every night......useful!

Blogger Sick?

Was it just me or was this website not really working yesterday? Tried to do a load of posting and everything and it wouldn't allow me to but now I have full reign!....i'm going to go crazy!

Drink?!?

Why is it that I could sit and drink 3 pints of Guinness last night and now I feel particularly perky today but when i just breached that 3 pint limit and stretched it to 5 the night before I had the worst day of hangover in a long time.......I always thought i had a 2 pint limit before, meaning that if i only drank two I would be fine and if i even just drank a bit over 2 (like 2 and a half) then I may as well have 20 because I'd experience the same range of terror in the morning!

Maybe someone will bring light to this debate and give me the answer!

Sore head!

God, drinking those 5 pints last night seemed like a good idea at the time but it definately doesn't seem so hot right now, my head is bursting! Just went to the Pub with Mark (who lives in my old flat) and his flatmate Laura and nattered for ages, marvelling at the fact that auntie aunies is a great wee pub and only round the corner as well. Just wish I marvelled a little less! Ended up coming home and playing FIFA 2004 on the playstation for an hour beating the mighty Manchester United 2-1 on the way to topping the premiership with fanciful Bolton Wanderers.
Got a few more nights planned before the end of the week including a work night on Thursday, which means I might just stay in tonight instead of going on the lash to watch the internationals. Would love to see Eire beat Switzerland but maybe it is a bit too much to be drinking two nights in a row.

Internationals!

Sky sports have just monopolised the Wednesday night internationals, there are no home international games being shown on terrestrial television as Northern Ireland V Wales (first time in years they have met) is being shown on Sky sports 2 and England is on Sky sports 1, with Rep.Ireland and Scotland playing on Sky sports 3 and xtra accordingly!

Its just wrong that the normal football fan cannot even watch his own country play on normal Tv without having to join the masses who tune into Rupert Murdoch's bloody satellites....... Sort it out normal Telly......I want to watch the next ones at home rather than in the pub where one can get drunk!

Scotch Eggs

Don't know if any of you have seen the Office sitcom....but the Xmas special was repeated on BBC 2 last night and by far the funniest thing I have seen on TV for a while involved a fat bloke called Keith, a scotch egg and a discussion about pleasing a woman....Classic Television!

Racing Froggy Woggies

Came across this website today which allows you to choose a Frog, give him characteristics, train him, feed him, give him presents and then race him like a horse against other Frogs. It's just like betting in asia apart from the lack of grasshoppers and having to be in asia to do it! So check it out you crazy people....and get a frog up and running like crazy! My Frog is called squiggle and he is a mean mofo.. "bring it on, ribbit!"

Hell Boy

Went to see Hell boy last night in the good ol' cinema, where I can still pretend to be a student and get cheap tickets.....having a youthful complexion can have its advantages. As I had never seen the comic book character in illustrative form it proved to be a leap into an unknown world as I sat and watched this devil man start into action.
I enjoyed the darkness of the film and they (the filmakers) have not made it completely animated and the bad guys are amusingly evil enough to make it good fun! Sadly, not enough footage of Selima Blair in the show and as she is a hotty in my book....this is a terrible shame among shames!

There are bound to be sequels as nothing was actually solved as it tends to be quite difficult to kill immortal bad guys!

Ohh and Ireland had a good victory in the international on Saturday walking away with a comfortable win despite it being against lowly Cyprus......Andy Reid stepped up with a nicely taken goal.

Irrelevent

Just got an email from a mate who claimed that now my own site is irrelevent, but I don't think so! This blogger is easier to operate so will help me to vent feelings in a jiffy and I will add to it regularly while my own site still has the photos and the poetry and all that crazy humblehah....

sure it only took me 5 mins to put this craic together and write this wee post.....its great!

Goddammn Bills

Then the next day I completely unpacked and rang all the places like the Gas people and the Electric people and the TV licence people. You know what it all cost a fortune....the bastards have not got free-phone numbers and they put you on hold for ages, I spent about 10 quid on my mobile to them! But its all sorted now and everything is transferred!

I'm so happy cause I have now left my Gym Fitness First and have now taken the money that used to finance such stuff and put it towards getting sky digital, isn't that great!...Now I will be an avid watcher of sports and a non-player of sports. But I had to give the gym a typed letter with valid reason for me leaving their agreement!

Moved House

Anyway, the night before last (Tuesday) I moved house/flat from number 8 in the development I was in to number 1. So, thankfully all i had to do was move all my things down some steps and through a door! Took us 45 mins to move everything over....surely the fastest house move ever! Then i just had to re-arrange everything so it fitted in the new place! By the way, in case you didn't know I have moved from a 3 bedroom flat to a new 2 bedroom flat with my mate Colin.

The new flat is great, it has wonderful sofas, a dishwasher, we both have double beds (good for the rumpy pumpy girls...wink...wink), I have an en-suite while Colin got larger Closet Space. Which would you rather? A bigger Closet or your own Bathroom inches from your bed.....Though he also gets his own bathroom cause I won't use the main toilet.....but he will have guests peeing in there and stuff! It's not that i am against guests peeing in my toilet, in fact I am all for guests peeing in the toilet rather than in the sink or the laundry basket...its just....i don't have to worry about that any more....wow wee! The living room is huge and we have a huge space in one corner which is crying out to be filled but we don't know what to fill it with......was thinking a bookshelf and all the books....and videos and things.....and then someone said try a plant....but plants are boring and I'm not my mother! Time will tell what will go in the space but until then it is just space!

My First Proper Blog

This is my First proper Blog so bear with me guys! I have a website that acts as a blog which I made myself: wrinkledrug and I think I will move most of that stuff on here so you have stuff to read for a while!

Suppose i should introduce myself:

My name is Ruairi Mc Nally, I am 26 and a bit years old and I have spectacles (or glasses)! I like cheese and I hate beans, in fact I am scared of all canned tomato based things (except tomatos). I am a business advisor by day and an all conquering performance poet superhero by night and I founded and edited a website called Belfastpoets.com , which I hope will become famous and all conquering like Napolean! I also like surfing but I haven't really surfed yet cause i haven't stood up on the board properly (one foot and then falling off yes) and not until you stand on a board and stick out your arms like in films. But one day I shall and hopefully I will buy a wetsuit....cause I am wearing one that is much too big at the moment!

For now that is all i will say! But I may add to it later if you are a good pet wabbity wabbit!

Soccer AM Dance off 04