Monday, July 31, 2006
Sweaty Sirens and Muffin Top Horrors
A couple of people, my boss included, have commented on the effect the hot weather has had on some women's choice of attire, bare flesh being the thing to be seen in during this lovely little summer we're having. And I'm in on that, it does make wearing my sunglasses worthwhile since no one knows where my eyes are :)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Klaatu Verata Nikto
We finally got around to watching Wolf Creek tonight...all in all, quite watchable but not the jaw-dropper I had thought it was going to be.
It was nice to see something besides your ubiquitous American teenager getting into deep shit, and the acting wasn't too shabby. Personally I would have added more bite to the chase scenes in the bush- that was a untapped vein of potential. Still, next time I see it on sale I'll grab a copy from my collection.
On the theme of horror movies, Fright Fest is coming up shortly. Theres a couple of beauties lined up so far... we've pre-booked tickets for Pan's Labryinth and See No Evil. Empire magazine has given Pan's 4 stars- the reporter reckons he's gone to see it 3 times already and it's gotten better each time. Now that's promising :)
Depending how the bank balance looks nearer to the time we might try pick up some random tickets on the day, but I'm not stressing about it.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Rain already dammit
I hate humidity.Give me the desert anyday.
Roll on winter.
I see that Stephen Lawrence is back in the news.For me it seems that as soon as it may appear that his family have managed to at last get on with their lives and lay him to rest, *wham bam* there they are in the papers or on telly, all but eating ashes and dressing in sackcloth, spouting a new take on their conspiracy theories. Maybe its just me, but after 13 years you'd think they'd move on with their lives?
Maybe their little cash cow is drying up ... and what better way to get back in the game than to re-hash your alleged grief for the curious masses? to get in there with a few choice exclusive interviews in the hope of riding the crest of another wave of public outrage?
Just hire a decent gunman and have them whacked. Before the judge lets them slip through another legal loophole. End of story. With the amount of "credit" they've built up with the politically correct/ bleeding heart lobby I doubt they'd even be brought in for questioning... the police won't be able to weather the embarassment.
For those who haven't been bombarded with Stephen's tale of woe (since he is, after all, the only person ever to have been murdered and the police really don't need to worry about solving any other crimes), the short version is that he was attacked and stabbed to death in an alleged racist attack in April 1993. To date, no one has been convicted of this otherwise motiveless and rather senseless murder... despite several eye witnesses standing at the same bus-stop that night, no one apparently saw anything. Here's the timeline of the saga.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
But why's the rum gone?
We headed out to Whitstable this morning to have a look around the Oyster Festival.
As is normal for us, we left fairly early in an attempt to avoid getting bogged down in traffic and made good time. It was a nice little drive, a straight zoom up the A2 and M2. One day when we get a sat-nav we'll be more adventurous and try the back roads a bit, but for now a straight road is just super. We discovered that Little White Dog freaks out if I take the jeep past 75mph, as evidenced by the flying leap he took over the backseats to land unceremoniously on Lizzy's lap, quivering. I think it's the tyre-rumble that gets to him- theres an unmistakable drone that vibrates through the car over 70 mph, probably because the tyres a bit wider than standard.
Anyhoo, we got there 10a.m as planned, parked and strolled off towards the harbour (£2.10 for a whole day's parking- bargain!). There was a nautically themed market, and joy of joys, stall after stall selling (cheap!) seafood :)
The jazz band struck up as we strolled away from the harbour to take a peek down the high street... quite a few interesting shops, and best of all it hasn't lost local character, in that it hasn't been taken over by the bland chain stores that dominate so many of the UK's towns. I also discovered that the missus doesn't know who Peter Cushing is. Tsk tsk. Time to add some classics onto our blockbuster list.
We ambled along, having nothing to actually do and the whole day to do it in, and wound up back at the harbour where I indulged in a snack of a dozen fresh oysters (they were still crying for their mama when I sucked 'em down) and some whelks and prawns.
By now, the place was filling up with people rapidly, including the unavoidable coachloads of our Oriental friends and the purple rinse brigade. We made another circuit of the market, had some more whelks (well, I did anyway), marvelled at the drift wood sculptures, railway sleeper furniture, ceramics, local artists, the Victorian mechanical accordion and the ranks of salty sea-dogs that make Whitstable their home. I tried to slip "Avast" into any conversation I had but no one seemed to notice.
We headed to the Easy Quay restaurant and the adjoining bar, where we wound up spending a very agreeable hour or two, beer in hand, sitting under a very spacious brolley with a cool sea-breeze to make everything quite pleasant. The fish & chips from the restaurant was a bit disappointing, considering the freshness of the ingredients, but I've had worse. Next time I'll have the mussels rather than the skate. LWD enjoyed the batter immensely.
We bought ice creams from one of the vans near the harbour exit and headed up the little hill to visit Whitstable castle, which turned out to be more of a decorated house than my idea of a castle... it had been hired for a wedding, so we didn't hang around too long, heading back to the jeep for the drive home. A quick pit stop on the high street so Lizzy could grab us a big bag of cherries for pudding with Sunday lunch and Whitstable started fading on the horizon.
When we left, there was a helluva queue of traffic just sitting there, trying to get into the town. I think next year we'll be back, but we'll stay overnight to make the most of it. I quite fancy visiting that beachfront pub again- I liked that, I liked that a lot.
Thanks for the tip-off Cheezy!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
I say
Hell's teeth, it's getting a tad hot in London this week. I have to admit, this is more than just generic summer weather.
All I can say is thank $"%*"$! for air conditioned offices.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Phew.
What a week!I damn well earned my peanuts this week, I can tell you that! Yesterday and today were mad- my desk literally vanished under the overspill of my "in" tray. I managed to sneak 10 mins for lunch, and was even interrupted during that little break.
We had one big deal that had to go through this week.... at 15h30, the day before it was due to complete, the powers that be decide that they're re-structuring the entire deal. However, the contractual date for completion was fixed. The cherry on top? All our directors with signing power to authorise payment on a deal of this size were going out to a corporate lunch from noon today. Aiieee!
Shish kebab, it was busy. Especially since aside from the above mentioned humdinger I still had to deal with a handful of building payments, letters to go out to various solicitors, redemption statements etc etc. And answer the phone. The normal day to day time critical stuff.
But you know what? These last 2 days have been the best I've had since January. I seem to do better under that kind of pressure. When I walked out to go home it felt like I'd really accomplished something tangible, you know? Job done.
The big ass deal sailed through by 11 a.m this morning.
Sure,I've got some polishing todo as regards the paperwork on Monday, but the clients are happy, the solicitors are content and the Grande Fromage is pleased with his new slave. All is well.
Now if I can just avoid making an ass of myself until the week after next, everything will be shiny.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Shite.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Sticky ends
Man, it's a humid one tonight. No doubt it hasn't got a thing on a nice summer's evening in downtown Biloxi, but it's enough for the rest of us.The windows are all wide open, but there's fukoli breeze to stir the lace curtains. The only breeze is coming from the wingbeats of the multitude of bugs drawn to the light. Those that aren't sticking to me that is, since it feels like my skin has metamorphosised into flypaper. If the top of my PC desk wasn't perforated I'd have to ask the missus to fetch the spatula so I could get my arms off it.
I'm holding out for the mother of a thunderstorm which is due to follow in the next day or so.. I'd be stupendously shocked if it didn't arrive by this time tomorrow night. There's nothing like that smell of fresh fried ozone that you get after a hardcore storm, especially after a hot spell :)
At least a bit of rain will save me from the prospect of seeing more potbellied, sunburnt builders waddling around broadgate with their shirts off. Not a good look chaps, not a good look at all. Very few women go for the balding-albino-hippo look. I think.
Monday, July 03, 2006
No.5 is alive
Ah, happy day. I fixed the problem I was having with my firewall.
No more spontaneous shutdowns and freezing. ZoneAlarm, you guys suck. If I ever see the word "TrueVector" again I'll be forced to commit acts of random and unnatural violence upon the hapless soul who has caused me to see it.
I'll freely admit I've been lazy recently. True, the whole Russian roulette thing with the firewall played a big part, but I reckon I started using that as an excuse.
Anyhoo. Here I sit, baking quietly in my own juices in our spare room, one tiny fan valiantly trying to move air thick enough to cut with a knife around, succeeding only in being a mechanical placebo. The weather's been grand eh? Sorry, I meant the "heatwave". Oh yes ladies & germs, the UK can't simply have a summer like other countries, it has to have a "heatwave". I wonder when the newsrags are going to try finding someone to blame for the weather?
Hell, they'll probably point fingers at us poor 4x4 drivers. Grr. Now there' something that gets my back up, old Mayor Ken the Cnut and his Pointless Crusade d'Jour. Haven't you heard?4x4's are the tOolS oF sAtAn... I wonder, has he actually driven on London's roads? I swear, frigging Mogadishu has better road surfaces than London. Close your eyes, and from the jolts and sudden lurches as you plummet into the craters that dot every 2nd road here you'd swear you were in any one of a dozen tinpot banana republics in some hazy, dusty corner of Africa. It's embarassing. Just the other day I have to help an italian tourist climb out of a pothole over in Regent street. I had to tear my shirt into strips and knot them together as a makeshift rope to get her out.
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