My Blog Posts

In my ongoing quest to prove that I am not the saddest person on the planet I would like to point out that I was not the person who had a package delivered from this web site today. It was the person who is laughingly referred to as my boss.

Dad, your Christmas present has arrived. I will get it to you one way or another. Meanwhile, I’ve just ordered another gadget. The Todds are going broadband. Smashing.

So, after a couple of days in Bristol I am now back in the smoke and attempting to resume normal life. Meanwhile, one of the things I enjoy about living in blighty is the sheer volume of interesting things. One of these is Question Time. The ABC tried an Australian version but it didn’t go down too well, probably because very few people watch the ABC any more. Anyway, last night’s edition was a cracker, in one corner we had Jeremy Clarkson and in the other we had Ken Livingstone. The debate was fast, furious and funny. But I was slightly suprised to find myself agreeing with the Mayor on virtually every point.

It is now over a year since the wife updated her blog. If it wasn’t nailed to the internet it would be pushing up daisies.

We have returned. Over the past two weeks we have been fed, watered, rested and most of all, warmed. We did nothing spectacular, but everything we did do was very nice indeed. Thanks to all of you who spared us some hospitality. Oh, and I bought a new gadget as well. I now feel very, very cold.

Seasons greetings to you. We have just returned from our festive trip around the country visiting relatives and doing all of the Christmassy things that one does at this time of year. Tomorrow though, we are off to Heathrow to climb aboard the paraffin budgie for a couple of weeks in sunny Sydney. Bliss. An escape from the English winter and into the Australian summer is definitely required. There will be less than the usual number of posts here, because I will be busy enjoying myself.

A pleasant weekend was had by all. On Saturday we visited the International Half Man, Half Fish of Tax and his family for a festive feast (well, I had a curry and Bobo had chicken chow mein). Yesterday we had lunch with the Christmas-mad-Mahoneys, although what Jo does with her wedding dress on her anniversary needs careful attention and probably therapy. We then went to see the Turners and had a lovely bit of afternoon tea.

Number three in an occasional series. Its not the U.S.A. -yet. [Courtesy of Metafilter]

I’ve done it. Probably too late, but why should that bother me, everything I do is late. Anyway, it is coming up to the end of the year and what kind of blog would this be if I didn’t produce some kind of top ten list? For those with short memories, back in November Mr Buck asked me for a list of thirty one rock songs. I asked for help and the contributions, well, dribbled in. From the comments on that post I have taken the first eight tracks in my list. The others are all my own work. The only limitation I placed on myself was a maximum of one track per artist. I cheated a bit with Ben Folds (solo vs group), Marillion (first and second vocalists) and Francis Dunnery (because I can), but other than that there are some cracking tunes. Enjoy;

Its Friday night, its 8pm and I am at home. The lovely Bobo isn’t though. So let me take this opportunity to wish you all a happy festive season. I, meanwhile, am keeping up my seasonal tradition of being grumpy. Bah, humbug. I love yous all.

Can you put your apostrophes in the right places? I can, and do. Read and learn boys and girls. Of course there will now be open season on every word I have written on this (and any other) web site. Which I encourage. Please, find my mistakes and I will correct them.

According to this article, Spinal Tap is going to be maintained for posterity by the US National Film Registry. To which there is only one thing to say - “We’ve got armadillos in our trousers. It’s really quite frightening.” In tribute, I shall be liberally sprinkling my posts with quotes from England’s loudest band.

In a small diversion from our usual subject matter, here are a few links to a subject that I think is important, web site accessibiility. These are mainly for Jonny (about time you updated that page old bean). He now makes his living knocking up web sites and of course knows all about this subject. Not only that, I am sure he has memorised all of the content. But just in case he needs a refresher, and for those others of you who are thinking about knocking up a web site say hello to;

I do so like it when my wife phones me up with the sole purpose of whingeing at me. It always makes my day. On a trip out today (not totally unrelated to SWMBO) I overheard a mother berating her two small children. The quote of the week prize was awarded on the spot as she simply said - “Will you just stop annoying me”.

There is an email doing the rounds at the moment. It contains the wise, wise words of David Brent. For those of you who don’t read “jokes and other rubbish like that” here are a couple of absolute corkers; “Put the key of despair into the lock of apathy. Turn the knob of mediocrity slowly and open the gates of despondency - welcome to a day in the average office.” “There’s no ‘I’ in ’team’. But then there’s no ‘I’ in ‘useless smug colleague’, either. And there’s four in ‘platitude-quoting idiot’. Go figure.”

For Bobo (still no blog updates I see - 304 days and counting), knitty.com [courtesy of Rachel via Richard]. On a technical note - “Knitty is designed for use with Internet Explorer. For optimal enjoyment, please set your browser’s type size to 12 point.” Bad web site designers, bad, bad web site designers. Whoever puts that kind of cop out on their site should be sent straight back to remedial school.

Today I have mostly been listening to Squeeze. Oh, and there is another announcement on my other blog.

Subtle hints that I know the festive season is nearly upon us; I’ve just bought the two week Christmas/New Year edition of the Radio Times. It is a little bit chilly out and about Family tensions are reaching a fever pitch as the annual round of who buys what for who, whether they like it or not, kicks off I singularly fail to buy a christmas tree or any decorations for the flat Situation normal then. Still, it is the office Christmas party on Friday and if that doesn’t put me in a festive mood I don’t know what will.

I’ve joined the EFF, have you?

I’ve just got hold of the new Chris Difford album. It is called I didn’t get where I am and it is marvellous. But then could you go far wrong when you team up the lyricist from one of the best British bands (the Sweeney’s doing ninety cos they got the word to go, to get a gang of villains in a shed up at Heathrow) and the master. Oh, and I’ve got tickets to see them both in concert next Saturday, the 14th of December. In a church in Islington. Feel free to be jealous Molly.