AWOL

Sorry I have been AWOL lately, I've been very busy - doing nothing really, After a hetic couple of weeks workwise I'm taking it easy, playing a bit of golf, watching golf on TV and just generally taking it easy in readiness to 10 days in Spain starting next Tuesday. Dom's on half term though in the middle of exams is spending the week revising.
The French have finally done something I agree with a resounding Non! for the European Constitution, at least that'll give Tony a headache, let's hope this sends out a message to Brussels.
Everything quiet in the town - no wrecks, nobody drownded, infact nothing to laugh at, at all.

Ebatyitis strikes

I’m afraid that I’ve contracted a massive dose of Ebayitis, in spite of my earlier warnings I myself have succumbed. I have now bought 8 items, 7 of which are guitar related amd Bin is concerned what the postman will bring next. The small items tend to go unnoticed but there have been 3 large ones. Dom asked me to try and get him a weekend ticket for Reading Festival (which I last attended in 1973 when Status Quo and Rod Stewart and the Faces topped the bill.) The tickets have been sold out through the normal agencies for weeks and therefore only available at Ebay. He started his GCSE’s yesterday and the deal is if he gets his grades I give him the tickets, if he doesn’t they go back on Ebay! However back in ’73 the tickets for the weekend were £15, I’ve just had to pay £200. I don’t think I want to see any band for that money, except maybe The Stones.
I still haven’t sold any items on Ebay though like United Kingdom in Eurovision – Null bids – well alright we got a couple of votes, but it just goes to show how much the rest of Europe hate us.

Kylie

I am desperatly sorry to hear of Kylie's breast cancer but hopefully she will recover and with her high profile some good may come of it. A year ago we discussed on this blog the death of Carol Keating and the fact that not enough was being done to screen women reguarly for breast cancer.
We are encouraged to have a dental check up every six months and an eye test evey year, so why not check every woman every year for BC? probably cost but what is more important your teeth or your life? How many women have to die before the government does something about it? and interestingly why is BC more prevalent now than it was 20 years ago?

Thanks Tony

Sorry for not blogging for a while, I have been busy preparing for a seminar which finally took place yesterday at the DTI's conference centre on the edge of Parliament square - all went well except that Mr Blair failed to notfy me in advance that he and the Queen would hold the state opening of Parliament on this day and that all road leading to and from Westminster would be closed. We heard this on the van's radio at 2 minutes to eight whilst negotiating Hydpe Park Corner! As we neared horse guards parade the boys in blue (or yellow actually) were ready with their barries and then walked in the road to stop traffic, fortunately we just sueezed through and made it to the DTI on time. However some were not so lucky and with 40 presentations, in 3 streams to get through it was important to kick off on time. Unfortunately my first project team were all stuck on a bus in Kensington so that buggered up our timing, by the time we kicked off I was on my sixth cuo of coffee - Thanks Tony!

A Rude Awakening

I had the most horrid start to the day. I was awoken by an indescribably terrifying sound which only slowly filtered through my sleep and in to my dreams. Very slowly I managed to work out what I was hearing and how I was hearing it. As to how I was hearing it that was simple, it was emanating from the bedroom TV which my wife had turned on when she got up to make tea. This is normal routine at 7.00am, however I remained asleep when she had returned and was sat up drinking her tea when the noise filtering through became vaguely recognisable as song that I not only knew but once liked. I tried hard to concentrate without opening my eyes or becoming fully conscious, this being difficult whilst one is in between dreamworld.
Then I identified the tune – it was Radio Head’s ‘Creep’- but not as we know it Jim. This was the most excruciating bastardisation of a song I had heard since G4 sang Bohemian Rhapsody.
‘Who the fucks that? I asked Bin without opening my eyes
‘G4’ she replied.

Time for a new background track I think.

Back to Normal

Well Sunday saw my first round of golf since I fractured my arm - 5 weeks - and it seems that the 'break' has had no effect on my game, I'm still crap! but it was nice to get out and back in to the routine, now we have better and light evenings it means I can get a round in after work.

I'm now fully addicted to Ebay, I won the auction for the guitar and have bought loads of other stuff, only problem is that I haven't sold anything yet, not even one bid for my Duran Duran items, so I have reduced the prices to cover what I've spent out, still nothing, I warn you now DO NOT GO NEAR EBAY! Tis a wicked thing, a source to drain you, tempting you with follies one does not need but seemeth so cheap, until the last hour cometh and you up yor bid just on pound then you receive the email that tells you that you have been outbid and you need to bid again to secure this lot - you have to do it - there's now way that shallopodop174 is going to win this prized item that you no more require than a dose of Herpes, but on you go until you win. Listen to me children 'beware of that which is Ebay' - meanwhile I've got 5 bids outstanding, all cheap mind you - under £20 - but I might go futher, Ah ha ha ha!!!!

Good Dr Who on Saturday by the way, I think I'm falling in love with Rose Tyler. You know it's amazinf what a load of bollocks one can write whilst waiting for the latest version of Acrobat reader to download - finished now - bye!

Soft Daleks

I won't go into detail in reveiwinf Saturday's Dr Who episode as I'm sure Grocer Jack will do that at lenght, other than say I thought it was brilliant and the Dalek Technology outstanding.The Cybermans Head in a case as an exhibit was masterful, however I was dissapointed with the story. As this was the last Dalek does mean that we won't see them again? I thought the interaction between the Doctor and the Dalek while it was chained up was magnicifent, but I found myself feeling sorry for the Dalek at the end which is an unatural emotion toward a killing machine and a Dalek with emotions whichallowed it to self destuct, is unatural in itself. Go to Relative Dimensions for a full review of the episode.

Ebay or not to Ebay

My first foray into the world of Ebay. I’ve decided to get rid of some of my Duran Duran stuff. However if your not familiar with the Ebay format, then registering to sell an item is a nightmare, especially selecting the precise category in which you wish to advertise your sale, opening a PayPal account and registering all your most intimate details especially those of your bank account and credit card – and you have pay! – I only thought that you paid commission on what you sold –if you sold. No you pay for a big photo, a small photo, a bold entry, a secondary line entry et al.
So I am selling two items both with a reserve of £250 but I do not hold out much hope as I think that there is as much chance of someone finding my items for sale as there is of Osama Bin Laden shagging Camilla Parker Bowles (but there again).
The only drawback with Ebay is that it’s so vast that you can easily get distracted. I’ve ended up bidding for an item that could possibly out price those for which I’m selling - a very old and battered Gibson E355 guitar that would make a wonderful restoration project, as I write the bid has 95 minutes to go and whilst I am the highest bidder so far I am below the reserve price. I will let you know the outcome tomorrow along with my thoughts and opinions on Saturday’s Dr Who episode of which I have plenty so say, unfortunately the bank holiday has got the better of me and another bootle of Macon is calling for me and a rather excellent radio documentary on Eric Clapton -so goodbyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee1