I Never Want An Easy Life...

Monday 28 September 2009

Today’s in-car entertainment: The Wonder Stuff – If The Beatles Had Read Hunter…The Singles.

One of my local community police officers has emailed me about my recent problems with ‘death wish’ children and local boyracers. He’s going to do a “speed survey” in my street and find out what the local schools are doing to promote road safety. Knowing my luck the boy/man racers will be on holiday and I’ll be told there isn’t a problem. My “quiet” time at the gym (11-12) is now busier than Piccadilly Circus. But I was first in so, whether they liked it or not, it was The Charlatans again. I should add the compilation of a “Gym CD” to my ever-expanding “To Do” list. On the way into the gym I was stopped by another gym regular who asked me if I was going to be using the treadmill. I said, no, it’s a weights day for me. “Oh, it’s just if you were I would go for a run outside instead”. I wander into the gym utterly confused because there are two treadmills so it wouldn’t really matter if I were on one because he could use the other one. Maybe, as I mentioned previously, he doesn’t like me walking on one treadmill while he’s running alongside on the other. Strange.

Tuesday 29 September 2009

No major nutters on the road today, well no more than usual. It only takes 30 minutes to get home but boy does it feel longer.

Once again my gym routine was curtailed. Tuesdays and Thursdays are cardio day and the routine is cycle, treadmill and rowing machine, although not always in that order. However, by the time I had done my Bradley Wiggins and Matthew Pinsent bit both the treadmills were being used, and by people who tend to spend a good half hour on them. That’s two consecutive cardio routines I’ve had to curtail.

The recycling is dropped off and the car is filled up before I head home and shower. I picked my daughter up from the after-school kids club only to find she has misplaced her blue reading bag, which contains her homework. It isn’t to be found at the club and a quick call to the school proves fruitless. Our only hope is that she’s left it on the minibus that picks her up from school. I’m not happy. Sure kids lose stuff but you can hardly miss it, it’s a flat A3 blue bag. I try and drum into her the need to look after her stuff. The problem is that she also has a lunch bag and a backpack. Maybe I’ll need to amalgamate the two to minimise the risk of future losses.

Watched Charlie Brooker’s new show “Gameswipe” on BBC4, which I think is a one-off. It was an enjoyable, expletive-filled potted history of gaming. Charlie, like Dr Gregory House, is one of those people who says all the things you want to say but don’t for fear of offending people. I’m not a gamer as such but I do enjoy sports games, especially on the Wii, although Charlie was a bit scathing about this particular type of gaming entertainment.

Wednesday 30 September 2009

Today’s in-car entertainment: Mull Historical Society – Loss

Being in at work before 6.30 am (for a 7 o’clock start) I have time for a bowl of porridge (with some honey), a cup of coffee (the first one of the day always seems “flat” no matter how long I run the cold tap) and a read of the Metro.

One story caught my eye this morning and that was the case of the mother and daughter who killed themselves after being tormented, persecuted and abused by a local gang. One of the gang members, who was named at the inquest, is complaining of being “harassed” and bemoaning that “people are threatening to kill my uncle and me”. “We don’t know who they are, they just rung up and threatened us – this is terrible”. Terrible? Terrible! What a cheek. I don’t believe in “an eye for an eye” but maybe now he’ll get the tiniest sense of how that poor family felt. Isn’t irony a wonderful thing?

I believe that Royal Mail is looking to put stamps up by 3p. They’re going to charge more for a product that less and less people are using in a bid to curb losses. Good luck with that. So The Sun is changing alliance from Labour to the Tories. Not being a reader of that particular publication it doesn’t particularly bother me and won’t affect how I vote but what gets me is how political commentators are saying that The Sun is known for backing political winners. This makes me laugh because they’ve only swapped alliance when Labour are already well on the slide. While the Tories aren’t exactly a shoe-in for the next election, it doesn’t take a genius to see that they’ll probably be favourites. Anyone can back a winner under those circumstances. The Sun is nothing but a political gloryhunter. Next they’ll be backing the lions to beat the Christians.

There was only one other guy in the gym today and he unnerved me a bit because he resembled the leader of “The Sisters” from “The Shawshank Redemption”! I didn’t turn my back on him.

I had to explain to some colleagues today who Quincy (MD) was. I feel old.

I’ve decided, with Orange and Vodaphone about to sell the iPhone, now is a good time to get one. I’m trying to sweet talk the Good Lady Wife by tempting her with the knitting Apps. Wish me luck.

Thursday 1 October 2009

Today’s in-car entertainment: Mull Historical Society – Loss

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month.

Been having pains in my right elbow and I thought I had perhaps been overdoing it at the gym. Then i worked out it was causing by playing too much on the Wii, particularly Frisbee Golf!

Received an e-mailed mailout on behalf of The Charlatans advertising their three December gigs. Unfortunately, they say that they’re playing in “Dumbfermline”, instead of Dunfermline. I send an e-mail to the company who sent it out, informing them of their mistake and call them a “Dun-Ass”. Do you see what I’ve done there?

Felicity’s latest musical phase involves a love for any tracks with drums on them! She keeps asking me to “put that song on my CD”. Volume 2 currently features The Black Eye Peas, Inspiral Carpets and Arrow so far.

Friday 2 October 2009

Today’s in-car entertainment: The Manic Street Preachers - Forever Delayed

The girls are off to Guide camp this weekend so I’ll have the run of the house. Expect to find me sitting in my underwear, surrounded by TV remote controls and dirty cereal dishes!

Actually the plan is to kick-start my book-writing by doing some research and transcribing some programmes I have on DVD and video. Whether that’ll work out is another thing but I’ll give it a go.

Another project that’s been on the back burner is a scrapbook of all my newspaper cuttings, which sit in a box in the study, along with concert tickets and leaflets for events I’ve attended. I got The Scotsman regularly when the Recommends section was on a Wednesday but then it moved to a Saturday. Apparently I got a couple of mentions on the last day of Recommends, on 5 September, including for my Best Horse Song category. I’ve e-mailed The Scotsman to find out how much it would cost to get three back issues.

I get home to find Mr Amazon has been. There's one Various Artists compilation of mid-60s Hollywood girl bands called "Boytrouble - Carpax Girls" and The Ace of Cups' "It's Bad For You But Buy It!". These CDs came out in 2003/2004 and have been on my Amazon Wish List ever since. I've decided that no matter what I'll work my way up the Wish List from the bottom by getting a couple every payday. Having worked hard I like to have something to show for my efforts each month and CDs are as a good a purchase as any. I restrict myself to £100 pocket money per month so a couple of CDs won't break my bank. Also, by taking sandwiches to work I've stopped dipping into my own account. Brie and grape today, it's all good.

The girls have no gone, with granny in tow as a helper, and after a tea of chicken and lime and coriander rice I'm settled at the PC - "pottering" - with a nice wee Southern Comfort with lemonade and lime, with the England v Australia match on Sky downstairs. Who says men can't multi-task?

Update on Dumbfermline-gate, the girl at the company who sent out the e-mail is sending me a Special Deluxe edition of The Charlatans' "You Cross My Path" album by way of apology. It was more of an observation than a complaint but I'm not going to refuse it. I'm still not going to the gig though. My thoughts on Ticketbastard have been well-documented on this blog.

Right, where did I leave the Wii remote...?