Thursday 27 November 2008

Grounds for divorce?

He got home after a hard day at work.

She said that the kids had eaten all of the food that she had cooked -what does He want to eat?

He did not know, ate a bit of left over garlic bread and then took the dog for a walk.

When He returned She was watching TV and knitting.

He joined Her, watching TV and doing crochet until he felt he needed to go to bed, exhausted.

He was soon asleep, only dimly aware of when She joined him.

2am.

She shakes him. "Did you eat anything for dinner?"

He tries to surface from deep sleep. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"You stomach is making some terrible noises, and I can't sleep!"

"Oh. I guess I AM at bit hungry. Can't be bothered to get up to eat anything, though."

"I feel so aweful! I am such a bad wife!"

"Yes. Still, as we are both awake now..."

"NO."

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Theme music

It's not fair is it?

On the TV and in movies, people get to walk along to theme music - music that lets you know what this guy is all about. I guess we can wear iPods and pretend we have got theme tunes,but no one else can hear them, can they?

I have often wondered what sort of music I would have. I would like something like this:



But I know that it is not really me - bustin' broncos? You must be kidding! I would probably end up with something pretty geeky - what do you think?

What would be my theme tune?

What theme tune would you want?

Tuesday 25 November 2008

What the names mean

Just saw this:


There are a few more samples here:

Land of the Chaste One? Is that Arnie they are talking about?

Monday 24 November 2008

The North Wind doth blow...

and we shall have snow!

And so we did on Sunday morning!

I woke up, looked out of the window and saw snow fluttering down, covering everything with a fine layer of crisp whiteness. So I snuggled back into bed and dozed for a while. While I dozed, my wife took Custard the dog for his walk, which they both thoroughly enjoyed.

I slid out of bed and made sure the kids had looked out to see the snow. It was falling thick and fast by now and looked like it was in for the day. But, no, it turned to rain by around 10am, and poured for most of the day. The snow went before I could get a good photo! Sorry about that :-(

So we stayed in the warm. I switched on the slow cooker and got stew and dumplings going for later. Mmmm, you can't beat it on a day like that. Then I spent most of the day watching movies and crocheting a blanket, nibbling on some wonderful Brownies that my wife had made on Saturday evening.

What movies?

Well The Empire Strikes Back was on TV, so I watched that.

Then we watched Robot Chicken Star Wars, which was so funny I had tears rolling down my cheeks and got that stomach pain that you sometimes get. I can't remember the last time I laughed like that.

Finally we watched an old classic, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I love this movie, in my mind certainly Steve Martin's best performance ever.

In between tall this I had a guitar interlude and came up with a tune that sounded really good - I must get back into the Rock Shed and record it before I forget it! Assuming I can still remember it now!

This week will see me finally getting a move on with the Christmas presents - lots of bargains out there right now!

Friday 21 November 2008

Holy Crap!!!

What a day!

Have a great weekend - back next week!

Thursday 20 November 2008

A chance meeting

While out walking today I met a couple of girls that went to school with my eldest daughter. Seeing them was a strange experience - how grown up they were, one pushing a baby, the other with her little dog, Frank:



Isn't he cute?

Just had me thinking - I could be a grandad by now!

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Where did you get that hat?



Here I am, by popular demand...

Tuesday 18 November 2008

If I ruled the world...



There would be a law that allowed certain elements of society to be culled!


OK, so I sound like a Nazi today.


I am just getting sick of scam artists, that is all.


Today my wife got a text that said it was from a solicitor to a Mr Whatever (not us) saying that things were moving forward and that their house was due to be reposessed.


Of course, my wife wanted to do the right thing and tried to ring them to tell them that the message had come to the wrong person - the intended person needs to know ASAP, clearly! So she rings up and it starts asking for various code numbers that were included in the text. She rings off and rings me asking for advice.


I look on the web and find that the number given is a premium rate number that will charge a stupid amount for any call made to it! It is a scam! These people are trying to exploit our good nature! Am I the only one that gets mad at the thought of that? It is one thing to be a cheating crook who would sell his own mother for the price of a drink, but thinking up a scam that relies on exploiting the good nature of the few nice people that are left in the world is just beyond me!


So! If I ruled The World...

Monday 17 November 2008

The weekend

Friday was Pizza night as usual, with our usual extra guest - my eldest son's best friend that came back from Spain recently, who was also sleeping over.

Saturday found my wife feeling a bit poorly, so we took Custard out for his morning walk together (she usually does mornings and I do evenings), which was really nice, just strolling along together with the dog talking a load of rubbish.

By lunchtime it was a really nice day, so I went into town to buy some stuff to do a barbeque which always goes down well with the kids. I could tell my wife wasn't quite on the ball, though, as there were 3 occasions where I was busy cooking away trying not to incinerate the sausages (which were rather more fatty than expected, turning the barbeque into something resembling a napalm strike) by constantly moving them around when she turned up and help something out to me - a sausage in a bun, a dish for burgers, a drink - expecting me to take it with my third arm! I didn't say anything, though, a quick juggle, a slurp of drink and a quick "thanks", then back to my inferno...

Sunday we went food shopping to re-fill our freezers and cupboards. My daughter came with us and it was great fun. I found a High School Musical t-shirt in her size with "I love Brad" on the front, so I said I was going to get it for her for Christmas. Last year she would have loved it but this year she is all "My Chemical Romance". So being the evil father that I am I kept slipping back and putting it into our trolly until she saw it and sent me back with it. Poor girl!

While there, my wife got me a new winter hat - a big furry Russian style hat with ear flaps etc. I love it, and don't care how dumb it is.

Sunday afternoon turned out cold and wet, so I did a roast dinner with bacon-coated meatloaf - quick, easy and the kids love it.

Sunday evening I was totally exhausted - watched Jeeves and Wooster, tried to watch Fringe but gave up and went to bed at 9.20.

So, as you can see, a good weekend, but I did not manage any of my goals. Oh well. Oh, I nearly achieved one - I looked at some of my unpainted figures and found a bunch of stuff that James sent me a while ago - some Celtic Chariots and leaders. I have decided that these will be the next things that I paint, so a little bit of progress, perhaps...

Well, better go now - I have got A Christmas Story playing on a nearby PC...

Friday 14 November 2008

Friday again!

Where did that week go?

This week flew past in a flurry of, um, stuff!

This weekend will be a bit hectic.

We have some major shopping to take on - the last few days we have been eating whatever we can find in the cupboards and freezers, resulting is some oddities like prawn chili con carne, which was actually very nice!

I have to put in some major work on one of my assignments for Uni. All of the basics are there but I need to hammer it into shape.

I really, really want to finish off the control panel for my V Bass, so I can show it off a bit. A strip of white plastic held in place with green and yellow electrical tape does not really look the part.

I also really want to get back to painting my toy soldiers - I have had the inclination this week, but not the energy! Oh well, I will just have to see what I can squeeze in over the next couple of days.

Oh, finally, the Children in Need idea came to nothing - no one else raised the idea again, so it went by the wayside. There were plenty of others around the Uni doing their bit, including a group of cleaners dressed as hookers who seemed to do a good trade despite their average age of around 60! I think they frightened a lot of the students for some reason!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday 12 November 2008

Still full of beans...

Just a quick post today. Thanks for all of the comments about my Full of Beans post. With a bit of digging I have found this site:

http://www.fullofbeans.co.nz/

Where you come from will determine whether you think this is a good name for a healthfood store!

Tuesday 11 November 2008

I'm full of beans!



So, what did that phrase mean to you?


After eating lunch, I told the people at the food place that I was now ready for the afternoon, "I'm full of beans!"I told them. Actually I was, literally, having just eaten a load of refried beans, among other things!


Now, for me, this saying means that I am full of energy, ready to go, etc.


But the woman in the shop told me that I had just declared that I was "full of sh&%"! Or "full of hot air"!
Now I have never heard this one before, but it does make sense now that I think about it.
So, if I walked up to you and told you I was "full of beans", what would YOU think?

Monday 10 November 2008

On Sunday afternoon...

as I was sitting watching a succession of bad movies (Killer Bees, Swamp Thing, Return of the Swamp Thing...) a sudden urge took hold of me.

I popped a quick question to my wife and then I was off to find the bag that contained the equipment that I needed.

Rummage rummage. Hm, this is the one!

Rummage rummage - too small, too big, OMG MUCH TOO BIG! Ah, that is the one, oh yes that feels good, it has been so long.

Then I was at it like a maniac.

Three hours later I had made my wife a red crochet beret. It really suits her, but she would not allow photos. Sorry.

Friday 7 November 2008

Thank Crunchie it's Friday!

Well the week draws to an end, and a good thing too! The weather has been generally horrible, work hectic and life in general a little bumpy, but what the heck! The weather has cleared, work is getting under control and the bumps in life have been stamped flat! HAH! TAKE THAT!

Not sure what the weekend has in store - perhaps a little Christmas shopping, learning a song for the Children in Need day and lots of relaxing, I think! I will see what I can get away with ;-)

That is about it for me this week!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday 6 November 2008

I think we have got a bit soft!

I saw this today:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20081106/tuk-compelling-case-to-free-bomber-6323e80.html

Basically, one of the guys involved in blowing up a Jumbo Jet that then crashed onto a small town is now dying of cancer so his lawyers are trying to get him released on compassionate grounds to reduce his suffering.

I really don't think there is anything to add to that, is there?

Wednesday 5 November 2008

Now I am going to pick your brains!



No, I haven't turned into a Zombie - not yet, anyway!


My department is talking about doing something to raise money for the Children in Need appeal, which happens every year here in the UK.




They raise loads of money and do great stuff for all sorts of kids all over the country.


We are talking about coming in fancy dress and tapping the students for a bit of cash next week. I was wondering about doing a bit of busking around the Uni, and this is where I want to ask for suggestions. What would be a suitable song - preferably something short and easy!


"Help!" by the Beatles?


"Money" by Pink Floyd?


Come on! There must be something really good that I can learn!

Tuesday 4 November 2008

Something to ponder...

I tried to find a Yiu-Tube clip for this but failed - so I will describe the scene.

It comes from my favourite Burt Reynolds movie "The End". Burt's character has a terminal illness and has spent the movie trying to end it all so he does not suffer horribly. Fun plot, huh? Finally he decides to swim out to sea and drown, so off he goes, swimming until he is exhausted, then he dives under...

He resurfaces, shouting "I want to live!" and sets off for the shore again.

As he goes he starts trying to strike a deal with God, saying he will stop doing all the bad things he has been doing all of his life and saying he will donate 90% of his money to the Church, etc.

Then he realises that he is getting closer to the beach and starts thinking he might make it, so he starts knocking down his offer - 50%, 25% gross, 10%, 10% starting in 5 years. As he staggers up the beach he is blaming God for making him sick in the first place!

Do you see where I am going with this? Of course you do!

And we don't just do this to our own particular God either! We do it to our friends who help us out in the bad times - do we really remember and show our gratitude when things are better? I like to think that I do, but the more I think about it the less certain I become!

As I said: something to ponder...

Monday 3 November 2008

Cheese

I am a bit of a Jeeves and Wooster fan. Do you get that overseas?

This is a classic scene from last night's episode:



You may recognise Wooster (on the piano) from House, the TV hospital series.

Jeeves, otherwise known as Stephen Fry, has been doing a wonderful series on TV where he drives all over America in a London taxi, visiting famouse cities and then talking to the most unlikely people, eg some homeless in Chicago, the Hmong in Minneapolis and a cheese maker somewhere in Wisconsin. He totally bypasses the obvious things, clearly going very close to Graceland, for example, without even mentioning the place!

While talking to the cheese maker, he made the bold statement that American cheese is utterly disgusting, and the cheese maker (who makes her own cheese from sheeps milk) agreed! I was surprised at this - I thought the Americans ate a lot of cheese, so surely it must be good!

Any thoughts?