My Opera2009
Monday, May 25, 2009 4:06:31 PM
A three year plan..
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:23:36 PM
Today has felt a bit weird, and I cannot put my finger on it. The weather was unusually good considering the woeful summer the UK has experienced thus far. Today the sun was shining, blazing hot but with a north-east breeze cooling the experience. I think that this is typical of this time of year, yet we've seen so little sun this summer that it was altogether different. The leaves on the trees are almost beginning to turn brown, some have already started to fall to the ground in a lazy manner, congregating at the base of the trees. And that is what signalled to me this was over. The coolness of the air, the dry crispy leaves, and the hot sun, means that the summer is nearly over, and the tuper-ware coloured sky will return in time.
The significance of change is never lost on me, and I feel in a place where things are changing for me on a regular basis. I've come to rest on a 3 year grand plan. I think people would be worried if they knew the extent to the detail I've put into this, but it has a deeper purpose perhaps. Somethings, like time, just pass us by, and as we get older even though we may still be young, we kind of need to hold onto something. The 3 year plan is a most audacious attempt and charting progress in life.
Things are coming together, and today in that changinging-of-the-season day, I couldn't help but smile as I walked in the sun. We're getting a small used car this week, and we're planning on trips into the Welsh countryside. To see a bit more of it, and to feel a bit more free in the process.
The significance of change is never lost on me, and I feel in a place where things are changing for me on a regular basis. I've come to rest on a 3 year grand plan. I think people would be worried if they knew the extent to the detail I've put into this, but it has a deeper purpose perhaps. Somethings, like time, just pass us by, and as we get older even though we may still be young, we kind of need to hold onto something. The 3 year plan is a most audacious attempt and charting progress in life.
Things are coming together, and today in that changinging-of-the-season day, I couldn't help but smile as I walked in the sun. We're getting a small used car this week, and we're planning on trips into the Welsh countryside. To see a bit more of it, and to feel a bit more free in the process.
ARRGH neighbours nicking off with my stuff
Friday, August 10, 2007 5:41:56 PM
Right now I could really use a punch bag. This all starts when I didn't receive my monthly copy of .net magazine. I thought perhaps given the recent postal strikes that it had gone awol, into a bin perhaps, after all I am naive like that. It turns out that my so nice neighbours are nicking off with it. I know this because I ordered a replacement, two actually, I got the wrong month when speaking to this automated telephone service, so I ordered a copy that I already had by mistake. Why is it that August issue of a magazine is delivered to me in the last week of June? Anyway the copy I was after was the Summer issue, that's July to you and me. Anyway they both arrived, and as a test I placed the one I was going to return as I already had it on the step and just took the one I needed into the flat. This was lunchtime, when I got home it was missing. I checked the flat and phoned the Girlfriend, and she hadn't brought it in. So where the christ did it go? Of course, some bum from the other flat has taken it like they took my last issue. I have had it up to here with people knicking off with my mail, and this has happened in the past. Why can't people just respect your shit without taking off with it? Too easy if you live in a flat just to say "oh great that looks nice, I'll have that before they notice it's been delivered".
I'm not going to confront them about it, just move the subscription to be delivered to work. But I AM going to mention this to my buddy the landlord, and I'm going to make sure he get's the agency to write them a very nice letter. I'm also going to make sure they cannot live there next year -goodbye suckers- as I am going to convince him that I will find nice postgrad students from my department who will just love to live in a quiet place. I'll do that after oftering the redesign his Church's website (yes my landlord is in contact with the lord, and their website is stuck in the very early 90's)
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
I'm not going to confront them about it, just move the subscription to be delivered to work. But I AM going to mention this to my buddy the landlord, and I'm going to make sure he get's the agency to write them a very nice letter. I'm also going to make sure they cannot live there next year -goodbye suckers- as I am going to convince him that I will find nice postgrad students from my department who will just love to live in a quiet place. I'll do that after oftering the redesign his Church's website (yes my landlord is in contact with the lord, and their website is stuck in the very early 90's)
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Tell a better story..
Sunday, July 22, 2007 8:14:30 PM
No, I don't have anything interesting to blog about. I was thinking about a post for a minute or two but really nothing comes to mind. I'm sick of ranting about stuff nobody but me really gets irritated by, so let's do something positive.
I was originally going to start a thread on Sitepoint about this piece, but after thinking it through it wouldn't really have been in line with their no politics rule, which I completely support since it's a touchy area.
Still here we go, this is a pic of stencil graffiti.
Since Banksy started doing this kind of subversive stencilling, it's taken off quite considerably in the UK. I actually don't mind this kind of vandalism. It does something. It has something (in most cases) to say.
They say a picture tells a story better than words.
I was originally going to start a thread on Sitepoint about this piece, but after thinking it through it wouldn't really have been in line with their no politics rule, which I completely support since it's a touchy area.
Still here we go, this is a pic of stencil graffiti.
Since Banksy started doing this kind of subversive stencilling, it's taken off quite considerably in the UK. I actually don't mind this kind of vandalism. It does something. It has something (in most cases) to say.
They say a picture tells a story better than words.
Hear me now..
Saturday, July 21, 2007 1:59:31 PM
Ok, so the concert mentioned in yesterday's post wasn't that bad, and I enjoyed getting away from the computer for a while. Though, I'm not going to write about the concert, in fact I'm going to tell you about some of the more fabulous things that happened.
Getting off the train back from the concert we had a rather unusual phone call to answer. Well unusual because it was a pay phone we were answering. Being slightly drunk also made this more amusing than it was.. but here goes the conversation (as much as I can remember it)
We: hello?
Caller: Yeah, hear me now, hear me now, to who is I speaking?
We: This is random guy in the train station, nice of you to call.
Caller: Yeah, yeah, where is you at? yeah...
We: Where is I at?
Caller: Where is you at maan.. I'm calling you like, bitching, forever..
We: We is at, the , bitching, train, station, init.
Caller: You takin' the piss maan? Is it, like, you disrespect me?
We: Is I disrespecting you like?
Caller: Yeah maan, is you disprespect me, 'cause I is not feeling your love brother..
We: I is not disrespecting your love.
Caller(interups): Where is you at maan, I ask you..
We: We is at the train station init.
Caller: Maan you don't tell me like it is.. where is your ass yeah.
We: My ass is in the train station talking to your ass.
Caller: Where is this train station maan..
We: This is the train station in Queen's street maan.
Caller: You disrespect me like.
We: Is it like?
Caller(at this point the caller decided to use a Ali-G line) Is it 'cause I black?
We: Is it 'cause you black?
Caller: Yeah maan is it 'cause I black?
We: It is not cause you black maan.
Caller: Is you black?
We: I is not black.
Caller: Ah (really hadn't thought this conversation would take this long had you?)
We: I is black on the inside init.
Caller: (laughs) Really you is black on the inside isit?
We: I is black on the inside brother.
Caller: (laughs so much that there's quite a pause)
We: Thanks for your call brother.
And so with that I hung up. Funny thing is that I was laughing just as much as the caller, which was clearly an intended prank call by a black dude and his mates probably somewhere in the UK, but god knows where. Probably made his night.
Hear me now. If you need further information about Ali G, and his comedy personas, please search google, where you will no doubt find that one of his most famous lines is "is it 'cause I black" - This post is not intended as a racial slur, I am mearly reporting an event as is actually happend. The fact that we both enjoyed this rather stupid conversation is proof that it was innocent fun. He phoned a random number for a laugh with his mates, I obliged by with a bit of tounge in cheek mockery. Hear me now.
Getting off the train back from the concert we had a rather unusual phone call to answer. Well unusual because it was a pay phone we were answering. Being slightly drunk also made this more amusing than it was.. but here goes the conversation (as much as I can remember it)
We: hello?
Caller: Yeah, hear me now, hear me now, to who is I speaking?
We: This is random guy in the train station, nice of you to call.
Caller: Yeah, yeah, where is you at? yeah...
We: Where is I at?
Caller: Where is you at maan.. I'm calling you like, bitching, forever..
We: We is at, the , bitching, train, station, init.
Caller: You takin' the piss maan? Is it, like, you disrespect me?
We: Is I disrespecting you like?
Caller: Yeah maan, is you disprespect me, 'cause I is not feeling your love brother..
We: I is not disrespecting your love.
Caller(interups): Where is you at maan, I ask you..
We: We is at the train station init.
Caller: Maan you don't tell me like it is.. where is your ass yeah.
We: My ass is in the train station talking to your ass.
Caller: Where is this train station maan..
We: This is the train station in Queen's street maan.
Caller: You disrespect me like.
We: Is it like?
Caller(at this point the caller decided to use a Ali-G line) Is it 'cause I black?
We: Is it 'cause you black?
Caller: Yeah maan is it 'cause I black?
We: It is not cause you black maan.
Caller: Is you black?
We: I is not black.
Caller: Ah (really hadn't thought this conversation would take this long had you?)
We: I is black on the inside init.
Caller: (laughs) Really you is black on the inside isit?
We: I is black on the inside brother.
Caller: (laughs so much that there's quite a pause)
We: Thanks for your call brother.
And so with that I hung up. Funny thing is that I was laughing just as much as the caller, which was clearly an intended prank call by a black dude and his mates probably somewhere in the UK, but god knows where. Probably made his night.
Hear me now. If you need further information about Ali G, and his comedy personas, please search google, where you will no doubt find that one of his most famous lines is "is it 'cause I black" - This post is not intended as a racial slur, I am mearly reporting an event as is actually happend. The fact that we both enjoyed this rather stupid conversation is proof that it was innocent fun. He phoned a random number for a laugh with his mates, I obliged by with a bit of tounge in cheek mockery. Hear me now.
Good Time..
Friday, July 20, 2007 1:48:44 PM
Ahhh. Finally, I am on leave from work. I had big plans for this fortnight but so far I've been relatively content just to sit on my backside and do nothing. Not strictly nothing, but nothing I planned to do apart from tidy the apartment has materialised. It's very easy just to find things to occupy your time on the internet. I set up a few CMS's on my hosting fairly recently and have been meaning to do something with them. Big plans I say.
I clearly have a problem sticking to plans at present as this evening I'm supposed to go see a Led Zeppelin tribute band as a favour to a friend. I sort of have to oblige as he did the same thing for me when a while back. Thing is it's been pouring down with rain all day. Added to the fact that it's taking place in an out-of-the-way part of town, and since being on leave I've proceeded to drink a few more alcoholic beverages than is good for me, i'm not looking forward to it. I have a horrible feeling this plan has got it in for me.
Today I also discovered my favorite jeans have now got a hole in the knee. That's acceptable these days, so I hear. You can buy them with holes ready made. Call me old fasioned at 25 and I might put your lights out, or better still give you a holiday of your own and knock you into next week, but I do have a strange sense of pride about having made a hole in my own jeans without having to pay extra for it.
Anyway I'm off to waste some more good time.
I clearly have a problem sticking to plans at present as this evening I'm supposed to go see a Led Zeppelin tribute band as a favour to a friend. I sort of have to oblige as he did the same thing for me when a while back. Thing is it's been pouring down with rain all day. Added to the fact that it's taking place in an out-of-the-way part of town, and since being on leave I've proceeded to drink a few more alcoholic beverages than is good for me, i'm not looking forward to it. I have a horrible feeling this plan has got it in for me.
Today I also discovered my favorite jeans have now got a hole in the knee. That's acceptable these days, so I hear. You can buy them with holes ready made. Call me old fasioned at 25 and I might put your lights out, or better still give you a holiday of your own and knock you into next week, but I do have a strange sense of pride about having made a hole in my own jeans without having to pay extra for it.
Anyway I'm off to waste some more good time.
Promises promises..
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 6:23:57 PM
This week has been pretty crazy all in all, and it's only Wednesday. First off, Monday morning I was barely awake on my walk into work, and half way up the road I get startled by some guy who suddenly shouts "Mind your own fucking business....NOW!" To say I was a bit perturbed when I looked up to see him pointing in my direction is an understatement. Lucky though, my heart could take the shock, and he wasn't pointing at me. Far too early in the morning to get involved with neighbourly conflicts, but then there were quite a few people about as there always is on that road during the weekday pedestrian commmute to work. I didn't hear anyone scream or shout as I carried on my merry way. How can you get that angry by 8:45 in the morning anyway? Usually takes a day for that kind of outburst, or at least a few straight wiskeys anyway.
Next thing, still on the walk to work, was a bastard seagul and her damn chick. To be dive-bommed by these despicale creatures while you happen to be - like 5 mins walk away from one of their diseased offspring- is not a good way to start Monday morning. I think I actually said out loud, "bugger off, for fucks sake". Clearly the stupid creature hasn't thought to learn english.
Tuesday, I felt like someone had taken me while I slept and thrown me about like a rag doll. One massive headache, stiff joints and a hoarse throat. Great. And I've got one day left of work-maddness (busy time of year) before cutting loose for my annual leave (today -who-ho).
Wednesday, I'm fine, I've been out in the sun and chilled out to music most of the day, and the promise of ill-health was never fullfilled. Well, I can be greatfull for that.
Next thing, still on the walk to work, was a bastard seagul and her damn chick. To be dive-bommed by these despicale creatures while you happen to be - like 5 mins walk away from one of their diseased offspring- is not a good way to start Monday morning. I think I actually said out loud, "bugger off, for fucks sake". Clearly the stupid creature hasn't thought to learn english.
Tuesday, I felt like someone had taken me while I slept and thrown me about like a rag doll. One massive headache, stiff joints and a hoarse throat. Great. And I've got one day left of work-maddness (busy time of year) before cutting loose for my annual leave (today -who-ho).
Wednesday, I'm fine, I've been out in the sun and chilled out to music most of the day, and the promise of ill-health was never fullfilled. Well, I can be greatfull for that.
Killing trees
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 7:37:21 PM
Many old and wonderful trees adorn my street, and I often admire them as they change with the seasons. However, to my dismay the new owners of one house on my street have completely obliterated one such fine specimen. I noticed a tree surgeon cutting the tree back one afternoon, and assumed the owners wished to regain some natural light into the house (the tree was blocking a good proportion of the font windows). That's alright I thought, nothing wrong with that. Careful pruning is all in good order.
Nay, not cutting back..the walk home resulted in seeing this tree cut down to nothing. We're talking about a tree that is (/was) as wide as my arms strech. Now I know trees of this size damage the foundations of houses, and that every rightful owner must protect their property. But I didn't see them putting weight-bearing masts in the ground. No, too expensive.
I hate to be a wise guy, but I'm gonna bloody complain about this. One example I know of that is similar was a home owner being denied the right to cut down trees on his property for conservation reasons. So I'll want to know who gave permission for this tree to be cut down, if any permission was given, and why. And if no permission was given then people (landlords) will learn to obey the damn laws just like the rest of us have to, and that the 'oh but it's just one tree' mentality cannot wash over the matter.
If everybody cut just one tree down, inculding the millions being removed from citical areas (amazon and others) we'd be suffocated.
Nay, not cutting back..the walk home resulted in seeing this tree cut down to nothing. We're talking about a tree that is (/was) as wide as my arms strech. Now I know trees of this size damage the foundations of houses, and that every rightful owner must protect their property. But I didn't see them putting weight-bearing masts in the ground. No, too expensive.
I hate to be a wise guy, but I'm gonna bloody complain about this. One example I know of that is similar was a home owner being denied the right to cut down trees on his property for conservation reasons. So I'll want to know who gave permission for this tree to be cut down, if any permission was given, and why. And if no permission was given then people (landlords) will learn to obey the damn laws just like the rest of us have to, and that the 'oh but it's just one tree' mentality cannot wash over the matter.
If everybody cut just one tree down, inculding the millions being removed from citical areas (amazon and others) we'd be suffocated.
Is this a year of hell?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:49:47 PM
Every year around about this time, we get new neighbours. And although they are mostly students, usually they are the post-grad variety (doing a masters degree). Thinking back, the first year we lived in our apartment we had 3 girls living upstairs. I can't remember anything specific about them, other than we rarely saw or heard them. Last year's lot were an ok sort of bunch, the did have 2 parties during their year upstairs but that isn't so bad, even if they could have rivaled a stadium concert with the amount of people + loudness of music.
Recently coming back from the grocery store, we met one of the new neighbours moving in. We had a very brief chat and introduced ourselves, and for a time that fear of hellish neighbours which comes along at this time of year was alleviated.
Sigh. Since then, there's been a great deal of banging and clanging in the next apartment (not directly above us in fact, but up one level and to the side of our apartment) and considering the distance between the 2 apartments it's disturbing that we're hearing any sound at all.
Initally I thought it would settle down after they had moved their stuff in, but along with shouting up the stairs, slaming the fire escape door (why is it nobody ever living there has worked out how to shut the damn thing properly???) at all hours, and other such 'shenanigans'.
I'm starting to worry. I have a meeting with the landlord next week which will need a discussion about this - and the overuse of the fire escape as a 'chill out' area. (Health and Saftey Act UK, folks)
I have to say I hope for their sakes they don't go overboard with this hell-noise, because as sure as hell is hot in summer, if I have to knock on their door for a talk the ill-tempered half of me will have them wimpering like puppies kicked in the backside.
And another thing, they had better be going home for most of the summer (most students here do)
'Cause I happen to enjoy those few months of lone kingship 'ver the domain.
Recently coming back from the grocery store, we met one of the new neighbours moving in. We had a very brief chat and introduced ourselves, and for a time that fear of hellish neighbours which comes along at this time of year was alleviated.
Sigh. Since then, there's been a great deal of banging and clanging in the next apartment (not directly above us in fact, but up one level and to the side of our apartment) and considering the distance between the 2 apartments it's disturbing that we're hearing any sound at all.
Initally I thought it would settle down after they had moved their stuff in, but along with shouting up the stairs, slaming the fire escape door (why is it nobody ever living there has worked out how to shut the damn thing properly???) at all hours, and other such 'shenanigans'.
I'm starting to worry. I have a meeting with the landlord next week which will need a discussion about this - and the overuse of the fire escape as a 'chill out' area. (Health and Saftey Act UK, folks)
I have to say I hope for their sakes they don't go overboard with this hell-noise, because as sure as hell is hot in summer, if I have to knock on their door for a talk the ill-tempered half of me will have them wimpering like puppies kicked in the backside.
And another thing, they had better be going home for most of the summer (most students here do)
'Cause I happen to enjoy those few months of lone kingship 'ver the domain.
20 mins...
Friday, July 6, 2007 3:52:29 PM
You know sometimes when you just have 20 mins to write a blog post and that because it's a friday and you really can't be too bothered to just find someting small to do for those few remaining minutes at work? Yeah, well it's like that here now - the sun is coming ou a little so perhaps the garden party tomorrow will be good however i'm quite miffed by the fact that my book didn't arrive today, I guess that will be one to look forward to on monday -so i'm thinking tonight I'll have a few beers must remember to buy the milk also on the way home, and dammit it's only 13 minutes to the hour and I probably shouldn't jack it in and go home right away, as I went to have a full fry-up breakfast this morning with the tech staff, no hash browns, which was very dissapointing, still the rest of it was ok...... no wait I lie, the toast was complete cardboard, I cant remember ho long its been since I ate white bread, never mind, still, i'm not sure if I can push my luck and do the breakfast thing every friday morning, I could come into work early and leave late but who wants to do that on friday? weekeve i call it, that reminds me how early will i have to get up to get ready in the morning, shit probably too early.. damn this it's only 8 minutes left to home time, oh well whatever nevermind i'm off, thown in the towel.
