My Blog Posts

David Blaine, nutbag? Certainly. Entertaining? Perhaps. Poker Faced King of Hokum? Abso-bloody-lutely. It’s the phrase of the week here at Whats Doing and it comes courtesy of the King of Radio.

When you are hurtling headlong into Winter. As Steve notes, the global marketing machine is winding up for the winter assault on our sensibilities now that we have turned the corner into September. Here in London the heat wave is well and truly a thing of the past. Bobo has been sneaking the central heating on at home when she thinks I’m not watching and today I actually wore a coat on the way to work for the first time in about three months.

Right, we’re off gallivanting around the country for the next few days so the lights are going to go a little dimmer here at Whats Doing. To keep you amused I would like to leave you with this photograph which I have called “Man Boobs Do Not Contain Food”;

Folks, if you know your SoBig.F from your MsBlast stop reading now. Go and say hello to Scaryduck. Alternatively, if you don’t use Windows on your computer then this probably isn’t much cop either. Everyone else, listen carefully. After spending an hour or so on the phone to the 70’s throwback last week, and discovering that one of my machines had been infected by a nasty little virus I thought I would bring you “Andy’s Guide to a Stress Free Internet Life”. If you don’t ever connect to the internet then you can’t read this, so don’t complain. Alternatively, adopt some of our top tips for top folks and make your online life so much nicer. Here we go;

According to this day in music the number one record on the day I was born was “Those Were The Days” by Mary Hopkin. There goes even more of my street cred. Luckily, they also tell you what was number 1 in the USA on the same day as well. In my case it was “Hey Jude” by the Beatles. Phew, some cred regained.

Reason number 22 to love broadband - live race timing from The Official Formula 1 Website. Sweet. The 70’s throwback and Jonny Palmer can eat my technological dust.

I’ve been very quiet. I did have a great post planned and half written in my head, but I’ve been looking after the boy all afternoon. It was such hard work I only got to occasionally glance at the rugby and the cricket. I completely missed the formula 1 qualifying and any hope of touching a keyboard was right out of the window. Son willing, I’ll be more productive tomorrow. Until then I’ll have to consign myself to some catching up with what I’ve missed on the intarweb and the knowledge that I can hum “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” whenever I’m in the company of my brothers-in-law (all three of them).

Excuse the diversion away from our usual content. I’ll be back with more wibbling later. Ever since O level economics, where we studied the common agricultural policy (CAP) and the general agreement on trade and tariffs (GATT) I’ve been of the opinion that trade subsidies are a bad thing. I’m not an out and out free market fan, but with this editorial and this new blog I think the nice people of the Grauniad may have a point. Lets abolish argicultural subsidies and I’ll have my money in cash thanks.

The lyric of the day is; “I’ve six things on my mind, you’re no longer one of them.” Can you guess which album its from? There are a further two points on offer for the track name. Surely it can’t be true, I’m not turning into Jimmy “jewels, jewels, jangle, jangle” Saville, am I?

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. Its now a whole year that I’ve been married to my beloved. Its customary to celebrate these occasions and far be it from me to dissapoint. Romance is generally the name of the game, and dinner, dancing and fine wine the order of the day. To show my wife how much I treasure our time together I’ve organised a very special day. We’re off to the Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham.

Is this the finest album ever? I rather think so.

We all like to feel comfortable in our minority ghettos, well today I’m breaking out of mine and joining in the worldwide celebration of Left Handers Day. Yes, I’m left handed and I’m proud. I could quote all sorts of exciting statistics about being left handed, but I’m sure you’re not interested in the slightest. Whats important is that its our day, and like the rabid Northerners last week we’ve got a whole twenty four hours to pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves how great we are.

Blender magazine in the states has recently published a list of the fifty worst artisits in popular music. You can’t argue, the artists on the list are responsible for some of the worst music ever committed to vinyl (or plastic). Not a single redeeming feature amongst any of them. Especially not that bunch of self indulgents at number 21. My only disagreement is that the wailing French bint didn’t make it any higher, surely they could have found a spot in the top ten for her? Mind you, the Doors could probably be promoted up the list as well, not least for being the subject of that awful Oliver Stone film.

Here at Whats Doing I like to think that we worhsip in a fairly broad musical church, but I draw the line at anything that contains, and I quote - a suburban Gap-wearing white fratboy rapping in a bad Jamaican accent for four hours. Eww, unclean. Four hour drum solos on the other hand …

Number one in an occassional series. If you’re not the 70’s throwback you should probably stop reading now. It Bites, The Big Lad in the Windmill, I got you eating out of my hand (track 1), 3 minutes and 17 seconds into the track - “I’m in - the mood” Superb. Go and listen to it now.

I spotted a couple of interesting stories in the Sydney Morning Herald today. The first is a simple write up of a news wire report which says, in essence, that people who drink with their colleagues are more likely to get promoted. You see dear, the odd after work sherbet is actually career development and is definitely not in any size, shape or form an indication that I’m shirking my domestic responsiblities.

Today has definitely been one to savour. After a suitably late start we got up and watched our recording of the New Zealand South Africa Tri Nations Match, but didn’t manage to spot Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom in the crowd, although they were there. After a family outing to Balham (haircut for Dad, assorted books for Mum followed by coffee and panini) we retired to the family residence. There I got to spend a couple of hours with the boy whilst Mum partook of some “executive brainstorming”

News just in from sunny Sydney, the Palmers are expecting. Congratulations Emma, Jon and junior Palmer. A nickname will be forthcoming, probably after I have a couple of cold drinks in celebration this evening. Completely irrelevant I know, but is it only me who thinks it quite amusing that Sydney is currently suffering the arctic temperatures whilst London is melting in the thirty degree (plus) heat? No. Just me then. Fair enough.

Quote of the day from, well, me; “Remember, kwality is our watchword.” Did you see what I did there? Oh, never mind, I’ll get back to work then.

I’m far too busy at work at the moment, so I have had no time to craft one of my carefully considered “slice of life” posts. Instead, you will have to put up with a little grammar policing from Scaryduck. I would just like to point out, in my own pedantic little way, that SMS was actually designed as a way for carriers to send messages to their customers (such as “You have a voicemail”), and that all of my text messages are properly spelt, punctuated and use capital letters in all of the right places.