Random Thoughts of a Whitley Bay exile

2006-01-11T18:09:00.000Z

Via http://www.pixeldiva.co.uk/ and http://www.dummies-for-destruction.co.uk/random/, I present 7X7.

Seven Things to do before I die.
1. Visit the Great Pyramid.
2. Get a degree
3. Score a century for NCI/My next cricket club.
4. Learn to program properly.
5. Own a handmande suit.
6. Own my own house.
7. Lose 3 stone.

7 things I can't do
1. Code
2. Meet normal people
3. relax
4. Give up alcohol
5. get fit.
6. ever have children
7. Earn double what I earn now

7 things that attract me to blogging
1. Writing about stuff that annoys me.
2. narcissim
3. seeing very creative writing
4. The fact that I can only get better
5. The fact that nobody I know knows I actually do this
6. Fun
7. Metting people (whenever that happens)

7 things I say most often
1. Motherfucker
2. Arse
3. Pants
4. Bastards
5. Duck
6. Why?
7. Basically

7 books I love
1. Yakking all over the world - simon hughes
2. The age of misrule trilogy - Mark Chadbourn
3. The white dragon - Anne McCaffrey
4. Civilisations - Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
5. The best democracy money can buy - Greg Palast
6. Stupid White People - Michael Moore
7. Big Bang - Simon Singh

7 Films I watch over and over again
1. Slap Shot - Paul Newman
2. The House of flying daggers - Zhang Ziyi
3. Real Genius - Val Kilmer
4. Smallville - Yeah, it's a tv series - but I like it.
5. Good Will Hunting - Matt Damon
6. Singing in the Rain - best musical ever.
7. Much ado about nothing - Kenneth Branagh

7 people I'd like to share this with.
no clue

2006-01-09T19:54:00.000Z

Icons of England

Thanks to a witch of a certain hue, I am onto this subject.

As I am from Newcastle Upon Tyne most people would think that I would say the Angel of the North. But no sir!

As I live in Cambridge, I would say the Mathematical Bridge. Wonderful piece of engineering. When it was first erected it didn't require bolts to keep it in place. Don't you know?

2006-01-07T11:11:00.000Z

Thought I'd put a qucik picture of me just to put a face to the blog. Yes, it's a very bad photo - but here you go.

2006-01-05T17:05:00.000Z

Wha?????????????????/

For the first time in my working life, I was sent home from work for being troo ill today. I am a bit concussed due to walking into a plate glass door. I am an idiot.

It does seem as though I don't blog as much as I used to (back in the days of Whitley Road blog). This has more to do with the fact that I am very busy at work and I actually like my new job. Anyway - new posts coming soon, with SERIOUS subjects.

2006-01-02T02:29:00.000Z

Christmas.

OK. Got back from the motherland (Whitley Bay) on New Year's Eve. Several observations to make.

1 - Whitley Bay has turned fucking horrible - all the local character (stuff I remember when growing up there) has disappeared and the place is just one big stag/hen night pub crawl.
Resolution 1 - Going to spend 2006 persuading my parents to move somewhere nicer.

2 - Christmas day with the family - total nightmare this year with.....drum roll please - Mum's eldest sister ringing the house during our christmas dinner and then having a 30 minute conversation with her daughter (who was having food with us) - GET OFF THE BLOODY PHONE - SOME OF US WANT TO EAT OUR LUNCH IN PEACE.

3 - Grandma said to me "you're very fat, when are you going on a diet"! - thanks grandma, i feel better now for having driven up to Newcastle at 5 am on christmas eve.

4 - Back to Cambridge - went out to Ballare nightclub (don't ask) - several things to say - Â£15 to get in, no dress code, and the worst fucking dj ever experienced by me in my entire life - shut up you wanker, dj's only really have to speak in between records, not during them. Also, please try to play the whole song or at least most of it; thanks.

5 - interestingly Cambridge Emergency Services did something really unexpected last night - they set up an emergency aid tent near to the clubs to help pissed-up revellers recover. Top idea.Apart from that, to quote the tosser DJ. - Hey everybody it's 2006 - have a wonderful year.

Going back to bed now - not sure why as I am by myself and cannot sleep. - suggestions anyone?

2005-12-23T21:54:00.000Z

Okay. Just a quickie here.

Merry festering season everybody (or at least to the two other people who read this)

Back off to Whitley tomorrow moirning (3am drive!)

talk after the new year.

2005-12-15T19:14:00.000Z

Last night.
pub quiz at the Carlton Arms - joint first place - that's 5 weeks in a row that my team has won. I think I am getting a bit too aggressive about winning though. Happiness and merriment all round.

today
work was hard.

Tonight
got letter from the doctor when I got in, My white blood cell count is through the roof again. It could be stress or the C word. tests after new year. Bugger.

2005-12-10T21:34:00.000Z

The festering season part 3.

just a few words at this late stage. Parents and their children. Motherfuckers. I don't mind if you take little chesney and kylie shopping; far from it, just MAKE SURE THAT YOU STOP THEM SCREAMING WHEN SHOPPING NEAR ME.
BASTARDS.

anyway - Newcastle United 1 - Arsenal 0 - ha ha.

2005-12-02T18:08:00.000Z

Festering Season Part two.

Now christmas usually conjures feelings of hope in some people, but not fucking me. I live approximately 300 miles from where my parents live. I traipse up there (usually a couple of days before joyless day) and lug presents with me.

This year, I have the extended family waste-of-time-can't-be-arsed secret satan presents, the work secret satan present and my housemates secret satan present to get. grrrrrrrr.

What the hell are you supposed to get somebody that you haven't spoken to for over a year for christmas? god I hate the whole time. I think i'd rather be at work.

2005-11-30T23:30:00.000Z

Wednesday night quiz. Carlton Arms, Cambridge.

We won again! 58 out of 60 (plus bonus points) - ooooh yeah.

During the quiz I am getting quite addicted to Framboisen Raspberry Beer. It's luvverly.

off to bed now........................but first sample questions from the quiz

1 - What is a Drumlin?

2 - Which actor was known as the man of a thousand faces?

3 - How many hoops are used in a game of croquet?

2005-11-29T19:15:00.000Z

Festering Season Again.
Part one (parts 2,3,4,5,6 and possibly 7 will come when the bile has gone back down my throat).

Statement.
It's secret Satan time again!

Question.
Wht the hell do you buy a man and lady who you know nothing about, other than her visa is due to expire very soon?

Answers below anybody????????????????/

2005-11-29T18:48:00.000Z

George Best, part two.

Somebody needs to tell Beckham to shut his mouth. Retire Best's number???????????????WHAT????????????THE??????????????????HELL????????????????????

Right kids, here's something to remember. George Best was a footballer who played before most of the people who think football is fashionable now were born. He was okay, didn't win a world cup but was okay. He then pissed his talent away on booze, birds and sex. He is what people up my parents way would call "a waste of skin". It's not cool to be lauded as some kind of amazing example of success when you have worked your way through one and a half livers, several wives and the goodwill of several million people. grr.
rant over(for now).

welcome Witch of a certain hue http://www.blue-witch.co.uk, I hope the new Almost Ginger Familiar is settling in okay. Vets fees are a pain in the arse though.

2005-11-29T02:33:00.000Z

Travelling to and from work.......................Thoughts of,

It's quite unreal the way I can now get out of bed at 8.10am and be at work for 9, but there are many oddities out there.
My route goes Milton Road, Mitchams Corner, Jesus Green, Trinity Street and work. But I find myself getting more and more annoyed at the bloody students who cycle with me on my way to work. Now I am not the best cyclist ever, and have a had a few accidents - but some of the idiots who cycle to work on my route just take the piss. This morning's piece de resistance was a foreign-looking girl who decided that trying to undertake a bus which was pulling over to pick up passengers was a good idea. Other annoyances are the amount of people who cycle around in the dark with no lights. I knew people who have been killed on bikes (with lights as well) - and this annoys me. I do get some strange looks when people hear me say "BUY SOME FUCKING LIGHTS IDIOT" going past some clown. grrrr.

calm now, rant over - going to listen to Dark Side of the Moon - always gets me nice and relaxed.

2005-11-27T21:38:00.000Z

Saturday, saturday.

Had a day of fun and frivolity with my other half which involved the best cinema in town (Cambridge Arts Cinema) to see Harry Potter 3; then off to a pasta/pizza place for really fantastic pasta which blew my mouth off due to eating some chilli seeds, nice wine too.

Then stayed in and watched Road to Perdition, which wasn't as good a film as I had been led to believe - hence falling asleep a quarter of the way through the film.

Sympathies go to Mosh, who is currently dealing with some Chav neighbours who don't let him sleep and play dance music till all hours of the night. I hate chavs.

2005-11-26T17:13:00.000Z

Controversy.

Ok, I am going to say it......................
"George Best, RIP" - what a waste of a life. Whether or not you sympathised with him during his last illness, the fact is that he drank himself to death. I realise that he was an alcoholic and couldn't quit, but many other people who have had new livers have had to quit and have. I have no sympathy for him as a footballer who pissed his talent away, or as a husband who decided that abuse and affairs were the way to live. More importantly he was given a new liver by somebody who had donated it in good faith, and he was given it because he could afford the op and was George Best - somebody else probably needed that liver more and had to be made to wait for another.
Also, the press attitude sickens me. The papers saying he was a legend, but spent loads of years printing stories about his wild life and alcohol drinking and encouraging him to do more wild things.

2005-11-25T05:14:00.000Z

Victory!
Carlton Arms pub quiz, 59 points out of 60 - we won again. The legend continues.*grin*

ITV News, continued
What did they do tonight. Got some beered up teenage girl in a pub and used her as an example of the Boozy generation. Wankers.

2005-11-24T02:28:00.000Z

yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

I have a reader. The mighty Dr. D of BignJuicy fame.http://bignjuicy.co.uk/?

Maybe now I should stop writing piffle and actually try writing something serious?
How about this for starters?
24 Drinking Crisis!

It was like having to experience a tv version of the Daily Mail - ITV news is possbily the worst example of serious news casting anywhere. Oh no, loads of underage kids are going to get drunk tonight and roam the streets looking for drugs, sex and fights. Do me a favour, try actually reporting the news rather than teling everybody about the end of the world. Berks.

2005-11-23T02:48:00.000Z

Bastards!
I am very fat at the minute so it was with a heavy heart that I went to my local gym to enrol.
Now, I live in cambridge so I thought it would be expensive, but £635???????????????????????????????????????????????? wtf??????????????????????????????????????????????????
i could get lyposuction for that to get rid of the fat without looking like a desperate fat man in front of a load of good-looking Cambridge women.
it's a dilemma............................

2005-11-20T05:21:00.000Z

Hmm, first weekend after the new job start and I AM KNACKERED. Been to the cinema to watch kiss kiss bang bang tonight - amazing film, probably my film of the year. go see it. talk tomorrow, off to sleep

2005-11-17T07:54:00.000Z

Wednesday night pub quiz - 45 out of 50, came third - arse.
currently at home getting ready for bed to sleep. fun.
heating is on, bed is nice and warmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
g'night.

2005-11-16T05:12:00.000Z

Brave new world.

Second day of new job. I am the only man in my section. At least four of the women like cricket. It shows signs of being incredibly busy all year round. ......................................................................

I can't wait for tomorrow.

night

2005-11-14T05:08:00.000Z

Sunday night, D-Day minus 8 hours.
New job starts tomorrow morning and I am seriously nervous. This might either have something to do with the fact that I haven't given two shits about doing any real work for over a year, or the fact that the employer offered me the job over the phone and thinks I am up to the job. oooh, scary.

still, I will give an update tomorrow sometime.

night

2005-11-12T09:27:00.000Z

Voyeurism.
Hopefully I won't get a sod load of hits from people who looked at the title and go oooooooh.

anyway, here goes.

I look at other peoples blogs (mostly in the hope that somebody will actually read this) but I do know of a few sites which are good to read.
mosh is one that stands out (being a fellow Geordie helps). Now I looked at a couple of his links and looked at a couple of blogs http://www.wildandfree.blogspot.com/ (dawn's blog). now, I can't decide whether or not this makes me a voyeur for looking at another persons life, whether or not i have no life and am trying deperately to check out somebody else's to see if it's cool or just if I am strange.

2005-11-12T08:26:00.000Z

tonight being friday night (and also the first night of three that my better half is oop north with uni friends from wayback) i went to t'pub with Little Matt, J.P, Mikey (also allowed pub leave as his mrs was out clubbing) and our resident slum landlord Richie. We went down the Rad (st. Radegund Public house, King Street). The Rad is one of the tinest pubs in existence, barely big enough to hold 25 people. It is usually full of students and Rad regulars. much fun and cider was had by me.

Top evening, and I missed to crap telly on a friday night that the major terrestial channels seem to put on these days.

2005-11-10T20:00:00.000Z

right, first off - VICTORY!

last nights pub quiz was a triumph of herculean proportions - we came joint first with 57 out of 60 - the team that normally wins came joint first, so we got to share the beer tokens.

Second, thanks Mosh - noted and changed for future reference.
Today's task, got to go into town and get my new fixed bicycle - new rear wheel, pedals, gears and hopefully looking nice and shiny.

talk later, got to go out and pay money for stuff.

2005-11-10T02:38:00.000Z

Wednesday night is quiz night.
we all decamp to the Carlton Arms for over an hour of questions and beer.
tonights mission is to beat the Anoraks, the team that usually wins.
will update later on how it went.

2005-11-09T19:39:00.000Z

Okay, being a Newcastle United supporter is generally a season filed with euphoria for about three months and utter black despair the rest of the time. Unlike most of the charves who live near me, I was actually born in the city of the football team I support (Princess Mary Maternity Hosp, near the town moor from what I can remember - don't think it exists anymore). Anyway, as I live in Cambridge I made a few attempts to go and see the local teams (united, city and histon) as it must have been a lot cheaper to go there and watch some football than getting to Newcastle to watch some pampered stars going about their business.

Now, i've got no beef with anybody who wishes to support a team based on the fact that it's "cool" to support them (for cool read Man Utd in 1999-2000, Arsenal in their unbeaten season and the mighty Cheslkov at the minute), due to the fact that siad people will be laughed at by true fans in pubs for years to come (I am reminded of a fast show sketch where some bloke was sitting in a stand with a load of blokes in red and white, and started to say how he like Arsenal United, but the season before had liked Manchester Rangers (or something). The kids who live down my street all seem to have Arsenal shirts on when they play football in the street, but when asked "have you seen them live"? I got the reply "no, just like the strip"! grrr.
support your local team boys and girls, even if you are a fan of another club, it doesn't hurt to put some money in the coffers of a local club who need the cash.

2005-11-09T03:57:00.000Z

Right, evening rolls on and I have nothing to do tonight.
so......................................................
I am going to get back and try to watch another series of babylon 5 tonight - god, i need to get out more.

two things that make me happy -
Emre Belozoglu - scoring another important goal for the toon at the weekend against the porn-purveyors (spelling?????????) from Brum.
Spent two hours watching my ashes DVD this morning. What fun.

of course, this lounging lifestyle ends when I start work at the new place on monday. arse!
better get sleeping again.

2005-11-08T06:58:00.000Z

Other thing I should add to the below post -
DON'T WHATEVER THE HELL YOU DO OVERUSE THE WEB AT WORK FOR PERSONAL STUFF - THEY KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-11-08T05:23:00.000Z

Right, down to serious business. Let me tell you about a true story, all the names have been changed to protect identities.
Lets wind back the time machine to last year when I was younger(don't think i looked younger though), thinner (definitely), happier and many other things ending in -er.
My job involved talking to teachers all day about specifications, which was about as much fun as a kick in the teeth. I had a blog (called whitleyroad, after the street where I grew up). one day, after much trials and tribulations I lost my temper and referred to some of the people in my office in less than flattering terms. one of them I called "the fat one from the two fAt lAdiEs co0king show" - she was/is 6'2", 15-18 stone and generally a workshy pain in the arse.

She complained and I got hauled in front of the HR tosswanks who said that they couldn't do me for that because I never used any names, but could do me because somebody could infer who I was from the description of my work. one warning later and I got rid of the blog.

The moral of the story is don't trust anybody you work with as they re all trying to stab you in the back with a rusty, disease-ridden dagger.

good news though - I start my new job in 1 weeks time and am spending the next week lying in bed till midday, surfing the web for a while, playing games on the pc and generally slacking around to have as much fun as possible. woooooooo.

2005-11-07T01:30:00.000Z

Alrighty, back in blog land after a year of not having my own and re ading other peoples.
got a bit of housekeeping to do here before it's up to spec - just hang with me.
Important details first
Name - Damo
Place - Cambridge, UK
Job - currently on sabbatical - it's nice to get out of bed on a monday around midday.

anyway - off to pick up pc parts.
talk soon.

couple of links though -
http://www.nufc.com - the only team to support
http://www.moshville.co.uk/Weblog - Moshers blog - fellow toon addict and currently laid up with a bad back - get well soon.