Category: Uncategorised

Once more I reach Valentine’s Day without someone to buy stuff for. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not. OK, it means I’m single (as even my mother has decided I’m fated to be forever) but from an economical point of view it saves me a few bob.

Thing is, this is yet another day that traditionally doesn’t mean a lot, but courtesy of Hallmark et al has suddenly burgeoned into a massive market for cards and crappy plastic gifts.

I used to go out with an American girl (as many of you may know) and I actually got a Valentine’s card from her parents. Yet another difference between the US and the UK. Over there, it’s the "greeting card day for February". Over here, that would just be plain weird (no offense, Sonja, if you’re reading!)

Thing is, there are so many occasions now when you’re "supposed" to buy gifts and things nowadays. Mother’s Day is just around the corner (in the UK – I know the US and Oz have a different date to fill a bigger gap in the greetings card calendar), there are birthdays, xmas, anniversaries, christenings, weddings, divorces (yes – I’ve actually bought someone a "congratulations on your divorce" card before), exams, new houses, driving tests… The list is virtually endless.

Here’s my view. Cards and gifts are all well and dandy. We all have people we know and care about so how’s about this for an idea? Stuff cards. Stuff crappy plastic toys and paying a fortune to get a dinner date somewhere on a particular date when every other bugger is trying to beat you to it. If said person is remote, phone them if it’s a special day. Come on, what would you rather a mate did? Drop you an overpriced piece of paper for passing your driving test or rang you up to say "well done" more personally.

If you live with the person, treat them well all the bloody time. If we need one day a year to try and get across how much someone means to us then we’re on a hiding to nothing. Set aside your own day. Surprise each other. Sod Hallmark and everyone trying to profit from your desparation to impress someone.

For once, I’m hoping I don’t come across as a miserable git. Basically, I’m saying that if you have someone you care about don’t just save it all up for one or two days a year to let them know it. There are 365 days each year and if they’re that special then they should know how you feel on every one of them, not just on February 14th.

I think I mentioned this a few posts ago, but I can’t be arsed checking so in brief: I went to London a couple of weekends back and was sold a train ticket that circumvented the need to transfer onto a bus because of engineering work. Because of the change in rail networks involved, my ticket cost an extra tenner. Only, I found out just before the trip that my (non-refundeable/exchangeable) ticket was going to see me on a bus anyway as the train service I was meant to change on to didn’t exist.

So – I had a word with a chap at the station and he gave me a form to fill out and post off to Northern (from whom I bought the ticket), which I duly did. A week or so later and I got a reply:

“… it would appear that your comments do not relate to our services … I have passed your correspondence on to the appropriate company … GNER”

Five days later and GNER – the rail network I should have travelled the whole way with, but couldn’t due to the engineering works – sent me the following:

“The points you raise concern issues outside of our area of responsibility and your case has therefore been forwarded to … WAGN”

WAGN are the network who supposedly had the train running down lines that had been torn up for repair. Three days later:

“We can only answer comments which relate directly to our areas of responsibility … forwarded your correspondence to … National Rail Enquiries Service”

I have used this phrase before and once more I employ it:

FOR ****’S SAKE.

A rule to learn for anyone heading to a gig at Nottingham Rock City – if it’s on a Friday or Saturday night it starts early to make way for the club night afterwards. At least it did for Megadeth.

As I had to drive from Newcastle after the match, I already had a late start. One stopoff in Wakefield to pick Mike up and a queue round the block to get into the only car park in Nottingham I know of didn’t help either. Despite the one in / one out queuing system, there was one ****** in a Merc trying to push in and blocking traffic as a result. Prick. I am glad to say that nobody let him in and he eventually buggered off.

Doors opened at Rock City at 7:30 (according to the ticket) and we got there not long after 8:00. There was nobody on stage so we headed for the downstairs bar, thinking Diamond Head hadn’t been on yet. We’d just got our beers when a cheer went up and we could just hear music coming down the stairs. No worries, time to sup beer and wander slowly up.

Halfway up the stairs and… hang on… that sounds like a Megadeth song. They’re not going to be playing covers are they? Oooooh ****….

*glug glug glug* Beer down throat, run like hell and only missed the start. A few shoves got me a place pretty close to the front.

Injuries after this gig are minor. One bruised brow and a lovely big scratch on my neck.

I pulled this gorgeous girl and she went down on me.

OK, I should finish/rewrite that sentence. I pulled this gorgeous girl up off the floor when she went down in the pit next to me. It was her who scratched my neck (accidentally I may add) as I was getting her to her feet. She was cute, mind.

Gig was fantastic, as expected. Even the new material went down a storm and there was a great smattering of the old stuff. I’m still disappointed that they split Peace Sells into two parts and don’t play Anarchy any more, but you can’t please everyone.

The rock club afterwards pisses on Bradford Rios as well. Three rooms, bigger crowd and beer that’s just as expensive. OK, so the last bit’s not so good. Still, I think it may be worth getting a Travelodge one weekend and heading down there to get wasted. Would have loved to have stayed on Saturday, but I was driving (and knackered) and Mike had a mate giving him a lift partway home who we couldn’t keep waiting.

Watch out, Nottingham. I will be back…

It’s fairly well known that I don’t drink coffee. I also rarely drink tea. No real reason. Well, I don’t like coffee. With tea, it just takes too much time to make. As a result, I don’t imbibe much caffeine (yeah, I know, I drink Coke but maybe one can a week).

At my last job I never made tea. Ever. Everyone else got them in, I sat it out. No point. I couldn’t be bothered making tea/coffee for 10 people at a time (3 people, by the time I left) as I wasn’t that fussed about drinking it myself.

There’s a guy here with a similar theory. John "flies solo" (his term) when it comes to beverage duty. As a result, he has maybe 3 cups a day.

Over the last week-and-a-bit, I’ve gone from no tea to maybe 8 cups a day. I know it’s not as bad as coffee, but all the same. It may help explain why I’ve not been sleeping very well and why I threw my wheelie chair out of the room when my PC carked it on Sunday. I’m normally somewhat more level headed than that… Honest.

Maybe I should fly solo, and just avoid the stuff. I wonder if I could blame my sudden spending sprees on caffeine and sue Tetley?

I had a small bump with an Audi today. Don’t worry, I’m fine. As is my car which was 1/4 of a mile away at the time.

There’s a junction near work with a pedestrian crossing on it. The road that feeds on has two lanes: straight on and turn left (down the road with the crossing). Along with a bunch of people I was stood there and the “little green man” came on, so we started to walk.

Two cars ran the lights and turned left. Then this Audi joined them, turning left from the "straight ahead" without indicating – effectively jumping two different red lights. Two people jumped back onto the pavement on the opposite side of the road. I didn’t.

I think there may have been some foot/rear panel contact. This was most likely because I lifted my foot and kicked the ****** as he roared past. There was definitely a "thunk" followed by a "pop". Sadly, I think

this means that the panel popped back out again. I can only hope I left a mark or scratch. Next time I’ll welly it harder or aim for the lights on the back.

Audi is the new BMW – overpriced, German and driven by *****.