Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not santa claws

Howdy readers. I hope Santa filled your stockings with all sorts of wonderous goodies. I got a couple of DVDs, Cds, clothes, chocolates, aftershave, etc etc. All good. One of my favorite presents was Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, set before The Da Vinci Code, I'm only 30 pages in and it's already thrilling.

This evening I went to Donnas house for her mums birthday. It was a good night with lots of her friends and family having a laugh.

Only a quick blog. TTFN readers...

Monday, December 19, 2005

It's the season to be jolly....

Hi readers. Well it has been a good week. School is good, Legion is good, I am good... Everything is... um... good!

Today I handed out a few Christmas cards at school and received a bundle myself... T'was very nice.

Hopefully I will be going to see King Kong at the cinema later (not to be confused with "King Dong" which is a completely different kind of movie!) Carl is back from Uni' and will most probably be joining us. I have got everyone a little gift which I will give them later.

Before I sign off I would like to wish everyone who reads my blog a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Also, Sandy, if you get chance to read this, I haven't forgoten you, but I very rarely use MSN nowadays, but rest assured, I still think of you.

TTFN Readers.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

yeah, but no, but yeah, but no, but yeah...

Well right, there woz this thing wot happened but I don't even know nofink about right, because you know Gareth? Well he woz like SOOO TOTALLY going to watch Little Britain live at the NIA? He got the night off work and went on Friday, right, but anyway he 'ad the flu, right, so he nearly didn't go but he did, right, and had like the BEST TIME EVERRR watchin' all the characters on stage and they were like SOOO Funny and if you don't believe me you can ask his sister coz she was there and she saw it all 'appen but anyway don't believe Trisha, right, because everyone knows that she's got one tit bigger than the other...

Friday, December 02, 2005

See? I told you November rain doesn't last forever!

Blimey, Now December has crept up on me like a... like a... like a big creepy thing that enjoys creeping! I am going to start my Christmas shopping early this year and not leave it to the last minute. I will start tomorrow (famous last words) and get some done before the rush in on.

On a happier note, I am going to watch Little Britain Live in Birmingham next friday!!! It should be absolutely fantastic and I can't wait... On a sadder note I am in work in about half an hour so I will have to sign off in a moment...



... But before I do, I have some genuine news that you may, or may not actually care about but what the hell I will tell you anyway....

... Here goes...

I read my Horoscopes yesterday (mine are usually more like Horror-scopes since they usually tell me that I'm a waste of oxygen) but it said that I will be much luckier in love than usual (something to do with the moon in venus... Poor woman) Now I didn't think much of it and went to the Swan yesterday as usual. Whilst there a couple of Jasons bar maid friends came up for the first time in ages. I used to see them quite a bit when we were all aligned to the Packhorse but hadn't seen them since we defected back to the Swan so it was good to see them again. At the end of the evening I got a hug and said goodbye to them. Lo-and-behold Jason phones me this evening and a certain someone wants my phone number...... Interesting. Naming no names but I will see how it goes...

... Well thats all for now folks (Mr Notman, I hope this update quenches your thirst for knowlege about life here in Birmingham. I also hope you are having a good time at Uni' and will probably see you over the Christmas holidays if you are back at all)

Thats it for now readers. TTFN

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

The highlight of my blogging agenda...

Sorry readers. I haven't updated in over a week but I do have a couple of excu- 'er... -reasons for not doing so. Firstly, not much has happened. Since Last weekend I have gone to work as usual, come home as usual, eaten dinner as usual -yadda yadda yadda... Until today. I had to get up at 6:15am... Why? So that I could follow my sister to Birmingham city centre to drop her car off at Atlas Garage and bring her back home before going to work at Woodrush for 8:30am... PHEW!

I am going over to Fathers later. I might see if any of the girls will be in the Swan and go for the last hour...

... In other news, I was asked by a member of staff at school if I would like to take up salsa dancing! I think I will give it a go...


... maybe.


Ah well, enough of this banter.

TTFN readers

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Get down, Get funky, Shake that groove thang'

Howdy readers. Well on Friday afternoon I went to meet Jo from Solihull station. We went over to Cotteridge (all be it rather slowly due to the traffic) to collect my costume and for Jo to choose hers for the party. She ended up with a Maid Marion costume. I don't think it would have been her first choice but she couldn't think of what else to go as. We got her costume and collected my Robin Hood one and then went to meet Adam for a drink in the Resevoir. After sorting out the plan for Saturday we drank up and left. I went home because I had work.

Work at the Legion was slightly different on Friday as they had a big quiz on. Not the usual little quiz in the games room but a properly organised one on in the concert room. The bar staff played for fun between serving customers and we did ok.

Saturday morning I woke up and needed to get my sisters birthday present. As I was getting ready, Julia rang my mobile asking if I was doing anything. I told her that I needed to nip in to Solihull so she asked me if she could come along. I said yes and told her that I would pick her up on the way. As I got to within 200 yards of her house she phoned me again telling me that her friend Dianne was now coming as well as her little kiddie, so she would drive to solihull. Since Julia lives in the same road as my dad, I put my car outside his house, jumped in Julias car, and we set off. We picked Dianne and Josh (her son) up and went to Solihull...

... Now remember that all I needed was a CD. A task that requires only minutes to complete...

... I got home 3 hours later after walking the entire length and breadth of Solihull. I didn't mind though as we had a good time and it got me out of the house for a few hours.

At 5:00pm I got a lift over to Adams house. I had my costume and was looking forward to a good night out. Various people turned up in full fancy dress Including Stewart as Indiana Jones, His sister, Natalie, as The invisible girl from the Fantastic 4, Kathy as a school girl, and one of Stewarts mates who wasn't in fancy dress but ended up borrowing Luke's giant afro-wig for the evening! at 7:00pm Jo turned up in her outfit (I thought she looked lovely in it and I'm glad she got the night off work to come.) We left at 7:15pm for Yates's in Solihull to meet Batman, Superman, the girls from Moulin rouge, 2 nurses, and a fairy!

After a quick drink we got in to taxis and went to Flares. Whilst waiting to go in they started playing 20th century boy by T-Rex. Quite good actually since the first 2 lines of the chorus are:

"Friends say it's fine, Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood."
Everyone was singing it at me whilst it was one which was surreal. We got in and went up to the V.I.P area. More people turned up including bunny-girls, a cowboy, the dude from Scream, Wonder Woman, a gladiator, a Roman woman and some other people who didn't come dressed up. We had a good evening with some good music. Fantastic. It went on until 2:00am when we left. Catching a couple of taxis was the problem so we wandered down broad street looking for a couple. When we did get hold of them, Me, Adam, Amy, and Jo dived in one and told the pleb driving it where we needed to go. After being told that it would cost £35 in total we decided that it would be easier if Adam crashed at mine for the evening so that the taxi didnt have to go to Wythall and then back to Solihull again. He had my bed and I was on the couch in the Living room. This morning I dropped him home. I need to go back over to Jo's house later to get the costume back as it needs to be returned on monday, and she will be back in Wolverhampton so I have to take it with mine.
Right... Time for a subject change...
...Today is rememberance Sunday! Wear your poppy with pride. To that end. I offer a simple poem...
"Memorials" by John Forder
Do not dishonour the soldiers
Who gave their lives for you
And don't besmirch their memory, Whatever else you do!
Maybe their values were different
And their ideals, maybe, not yours
But don't belittle the sacrifice
They made in various wars.
For they died for what they believed in.
Do you have strength for the same?
Would you lay down your life for a comrade?
Please don't throw scorn on their name.
The memorial is there for one of 'em,
Everyone, not a few, not just some,
Every soldier who fought for his Country
But never again saw his home.
I think it says all that is needed...
I am signing off.
TTFN readers

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Party on...

Well the fireworks were a scream... I think everyone enjoyed themselves and there was definitely a touch of pyromania flowing through me as I lit those rockets!

This week at work has been indifferent so I wont blog it...




... Moving swiftly on.



I went to see Saw 2 yesterday with Dan'. Very scary and I would recommend going to see it. On Saturday I have the fancy dress party in Birmingham. As an added bonus, Jo has got the night off work so she is coming aswell.

I am in the Swan later. I need a pint...............

Only a quick blog, sorry readers. TTFN

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Nothing lasts forever... Even cold November rain

Why is it November all of a sudden? It seems like only a few days ago I was typing "Well October is apon us... etc." Strange. Although since it is November I am required by law to have a fireworks party. So I will have one... Actually, I already have a few rockets that I spotted today in a hardware shop. I have never been one for boxes of cheap tat that you get from Tescos. I have some proper Anti-aircraft stuff... You know, the type of fireworks that set off car alarms and alert the anti-terrorism squads. I need some cheaper rockets just to "pad-out" the display but other than that, its Nagasaki mark II....

Changing the subject entirely, next Saturday is the fancy-dress party in Birmingham. I am looking forward to it. I haven't had a proper night out in ages...

Other than that, I have nothing else to report... Sorry readers.

TTFN

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Back to work I go...

Well Readers you may realise that I have not updated my blog for a while but I was saving the events of my half-term break for one big post... Except that there haven't been any.

I will give a rundown of my week for you but this ain't gonna be a very good piece of indulgence writing.....

Saturday: I woke up at about 10am. I got up and wondered what the hell I should do with my day....

... At 7:45pm I stopped wondering and got ready for work. The usual crowd were in and we had a bloddy awful group on stage called "The Brothers Grimm" and how grimm they were... they had some really good songs in their line-up but unfortunately they couldn't play very well and their vocalist sounded like he was in need of a throat transplant.

Sunday: I woke up at 11am and wondered what the hell I should do with my day....

.... You can see where this is going, can't you....

.... I had Sunday dinner at 12:30 and relaxed a bit. I got ready for work and got to the Legion for 3pm. BOLLOCKS! it was Villa Vs Blues so the club was packed... Bang went my chance of a lazy Sunday afternoon. At 7pm I came home and went to my nan's for tea as usual. I came back and watched a bit of telly then went to bed.

... It's a thrilling read, isn't it, readers?

Monday: Ah, the first real day of my holiday! I got up at 10:30am and wondered what the hell to do with my day...

... I figured out that "sod all" was preferable and decided to do that. Having spent most of the day doing sod all it was time to go out for the evening... Now John was worn out from doing a days labour, and Adam was in France so I decided to invade Kate, Jenny, Naomi, Nikki, and Julias night out and ended up in the Rezza' (The Resovoir Pub in Earlswood, for those of you who don't know me personally) Jenny was driving and so I could have a drink... I was drinking Guinness and black all evening until I was full and then moved on to Strongbow. To finish off I had a shot of Tequilla (just because I had never tasted it) and a Goldshlager... Now for those of you who have never come across this peculiar tipple, it is a blend of alchohol and gold. Yes, gold. Little gold flakes float around in it and you just drink it... I only decided to try it because I thought it looked pretty. It tastes quite good and is supposed to make you drunk faster because the gold flakes are meant to scratch the back of your throat, allowing the alchohol to get into your blood quicker. I didn't feel anything and didn't get drunk so I can only assume that it's total bollocks and the gold is indeed there to look pretty. I got home for 12:00mt and went to bed.

Tuesday: Ah now Tuesday was a strange day, filled with sadness and disapointment. I went to go and buy Brothers in Arms: Earned in blood for the Xbox but nowhere had it in stock. I tidyed my room, slightly, and then played a round of iSketch for a few hours. In the evening I went with John, Adam (who was back from France) and Alex to the Jug of Ale for the quiz. After the third round we realised we had fucked up and decided to leave. We went over to the Packhorse but Adam went home because he was tired (awww.) I dropped John home at 11:30 and went home to beddie-byes.

Wednesday: I really, really wanted Brothers in Arms: Earned in blood so I went back round the shops. Whilst in Toys R Us (is there a way of doing a backwards "R" on a keyboard?) I noticed they had Worms 4: Mayhem on offer. I decided to get it as I haven't enjoyed a game of Worms in ages. I came home and ordered Brothers in Arms: Earned in blood on Amazon. Much easier! On Wednesday evening I went round to my dads for a couple of hours before nipping over to the Swan to have a drink with Julia.

Thursday: I woke up quite early and wanted to really get in to Worms 4: mayhem. It is a hilarious game with some good sound effects and strange weaponry. I spent nearly the whole day playing about on it and at 8:00pm went with Lank up to the Swan. A good time was had by all... Mainly due to the fact that we were all sat INSIDE this week. The group did, however split in to 2 seperate groups.. Smokers and Non Smokers. Strange. We have never done that before. I didn't like it as I'm used to everyone being together.... Ah well. Never mind. I came home, played Worms until about 2am and then went to bed.

Friday: I woke up late and discovered that Brothers in Arms had been delivered through the letterbox... WOOHOO! I turned on my Xbox and played Worms for most of the day. I did have a go at Brothers in Arms but it is very difficult. Worms has always had that "instant satisfaction" feel to it that made it a success when the original was launched over 10 years ago!

I was in work for 7pm as Tony and Val were having a meal in the Packhorse for Tony's 60th Birthday. I was in charge but Stef, Pat, and Gemma were determined to prove otherwise... They did this by stealing my cobs that Val had made for me and hiding them... MUTINY! To make matters worse it was Jazz night in the club which is always bloody awful and makes me want to vomit. We got out of the legion at about 12:00mt. I dropped Gemma home (as I have to go past her house) and played Worms for a bit when I came in.

Saturday: I got up knowing that I had to go and help Donna with her PC as she wants to know how to download stuff and things like that. It all went to pot when she told me that she needed to find Langley High School for a dance lesson she was teaching. After buggering about on Map Quest I decided to go and find it. We jumped in to my car (Donna didn't even have shoes on!) and set off for the arse-end of Solihull. After finding it (with some difficulty) we went back to Donnas house. We got back for about 4:15pm where she decided to tell me that she needed to be back at the school for 5pm!!! She then told me that she had actually BEEN THERE LAST WEEK but forgot where it was........ AAARRGH! No matter though, we had a laugh like we always do and it got me out of the house for an hour.

Sunday (today): I got up and had Sunday lunch. My Grandad was here as well because my nan is currently in hospital. She will be home on Monday though so no worries. I went to work at the Legion for 3pm and it was absolutely dead.... YESSSS! lazy Sundays... You can't beat 'em. After being paid for doing nothing I came home and then went to my nans for tea as per usual. I came home for about 10:00pm and started blogging my week.

Thats about it. I am back at work tomorrow and to be honest, I'm glad. As much as I enjoy the occasional lazy day, a week of doing nothing gets a bit tedious. I am off to bed readers. Catch you all again soon...

... TTFN.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see.

Well readers. What a week. Last Saturday Carl came back from Uni'. I took him, as well as John and Adam over to "Pinocchio's fancy dress" over in Cotterage. Adams sister Amy is having a fancy dress party in Birmingham on November 12th and I needed a costume. I tried on a Red Indian outfit and a Robin Hood one... I chose Robin Hood in the end as the head-dress on the Indian outfit was a bit big and wobbly. I paid a £10 deposit to reserve it until November...


You want to see the pictures dont you?


I can tell....


Oh go on then...


Me as the indian chief (With a fit Snow White behind me!) complete with wobbly head-dress. I think that going for Robin Hood was the better choice...



I think I cut quite a dashing figure. The costume comes with the trousers, a belt (which I'm not wearing in the pic') leather wrist guards and boot covers.

Enough of this sillyness.... On with the blog...


On Tuesday I came home from work and after getting changed I headed over to Stratford to do a bit of clothes shopping. I got togged up and came home £100 lighter. In the evening me Adam, and John went to meet Alex in the Jug of Ale for the pub quiz. We called ourselves "The peanut smugglers" and came 6th out of 14 teams with a score of 75 points. Quite good really.

On the Wednesday I went to meet Kate and Corrine at the Coach House in Solihull. I haven't seen Kate in over 12 months so I am glad we had a chance to catch up. I left at about 8pm to go to fathers house. He had bought a boxing magazine which included a DVD showing Muhammad Ali's two biggest fights. Sonny Liston (1964) and George Foreman (1974 "Rumble in the Jungle"). We watched both fights before I came home for some supper and beddie-byes.

Today at work was interesting. Incidents which shall not be discussed on this website have made today one of the most bizzare yet. I am looking forward to tomorrow as we have another non-uniform day, although everyone is supposed to wear "sports gear" as a theme... I might go in wearing my full skiing outfit just for a laugh.

I will be drowning my sorrows in The Swan later.... I definitley need a pint or two!
TTFN Readers!

Friday, October 14, 2005

Another little post...

Well hello there readers. You will be pleased to know that I am over the worst of my bout of Flu' and am back on form. I have also finished The Da Vinci Code and the ending was brilliant. I want Dan Brown to finish the sequel, aptly called Solomon's Key, it picks up where The Da Vinci Code left off.

I have work later for the first time in 2 weeks. No doubt something will have changed in my absence. It always does.

Right, thats it for now...

TTFN

Sunday, October 09, 2005

O, draconian devil. Oh lame saint!

Howdy readers... This week I have been dying...

... Well I have had man-flu'. It started as a slight ache in my neck, which developed in to a raging sore throat and harsh cough. I couldn't work yesterday (Saturday) or today. I am getting over it slowly with the aid of Strepsils, Soothers, Dequadin, and Venos. I should be OK for work at school tomorrow.

To cheer myself up I bought The Da Vinci Code from Tescos. It is a thrilling read, and if you are wondering whether or not to read it I suggest you do. The plot is superb with plenty of puzzles and twists. I am nearly half way through and I have only owned it for several hours! (I will save some for later on in the week though)

Thats it for now readers, this was only a quick post. Co-incidentally, the title of this post is an amusing anagram that appears in the book. The phrase contains a name and a famous object. First person to post the correct answer on my shoutbox get a prize!

TTFN.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Graphics Galore!

Howdy readers, this is just a quick post to say that today I treated myself to a new toy... A graphics tablet! yes, I can now draw professionaly on my computer. It is a slick little thing, a WACOM Volito 2 tablet, with pressure sensitivity and battery-free, cordless stylus, nice.

Well just as a quick overview, today I went to my dads as usual but Julia phoned me up saying she was in the Swan with Jason and Jenny. I decided to join them for the last hour and was glad I did, since Jenny let me take a photo of her boobs.... (Now I realise that I can put photo's from my phone on to the PC but I'm not uploading that one!)

Well thats about it for today. So I will sign off... Literally!


TTFN, readers.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

"O" is for "October" (and "Osteo-Athritis")

Well another achive point is added at Septembers posts get blasted into the past. October is the here-and-now so lets blog...

... So far I have not been able to find and Adam Turbitts, but my faith is unshaken. I WILL accomplish my goal. I have done a bit of e-mailing and I am awaiting the responces. But enough of that.

It is Saturday and that means I have work tonight. I wanted to go drinking with everone from the Packhorse. They are going out for Lanks birthday but I couldn't get the time off.

Ah well...

Oh yes, while I am thinking about it, check out Mr Robinsons blog for more Reading photos!

Thats it for now. TTFN readers.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Adam Turbitts of the world unite!

Calling all readers, calling all readers...

ARE YOU ADAM TURBITT?


Yes, if YOU are called Adam Turbitt, please contact me! I am trying to find as many people named Adam Turbitt as possible. Leave me a comment or post a message in the shoutbox If you are willing to prove your name and participate in this little adventure. Thankyou.

Monday, September 26, 2005

I love weddings.

Hello readers. Well I thought I would create this post as a permanant memory of Carrie and Marks big day. I took a few photos using my phone so I have put them on here.
Carrie in her wedding dress. It seems like only yesterday that we were running round Meadow Green playground playing tag and hide and seek...

Carrie and Mark with Marks parents.

I wish them the very best for the future. Actually the day was brilliant, me and John left Wythall at 10:00am and got to Weston for about 12:00 mid-day. The service was at 1:00pm and we had the meal afterwards. We were sat on a table with 3 couples (who I reckon thought that me and john were an "item" which I had to correct.) Alex and Kate were sat to my immediate left and they were probably the best couple in the hotel... We were in hysterics at some of the stories. Kate was half-drunk, and Alex sort of sounds like Eddie Izzard when he speaks... Fantastic!

After the meal we had some time to relax before bidding everyone farewell and heading back to Wythall. On the way I stopped at a service station because my eyes were sagging. I ordered my first ever Double Espresso... Boy do those things perk you up! It was like drinking bitumen... Only the after taste resembles coffee, it really is quite strange. But it worked, and we were back on my way. I was home for 8:00pm and was in work for 8:30... Doh! It was a good night actually, with a good band on. Quite a frantic day really.

Now on to much more serious matters. Mr Turbitt has set me a challenge, and it is one that I think I can safely take up. Earlier on this evening, Monday 27th September 2005, Mr Turbitt said the following:

"I bet you wont be able to find another living person with the name, Adam Turbitt"

Right then... I, Mr Gareth Evans, being of sound body and mind hereforth declare that I will not reast until I have made contact with, and spoken to, another Adam Turbitt. There we are... On with the show. I will use the internet, phone book, and any other weapon of choice to track down an alternative Mr Adam Turbitt.

Thats all from me now... I'm off to bed. TTFN readers.


Thursday, September 22, 2005

Shock therapy is the answer!

Ah readers, I appologise for my slight break in my blogging but I have been busy playing a free online game called Runescape. It is a badly animated point and click game. Annoying, yet strangely addictive. However, enough of that, let us move on to the main blog:

On Tuesday it was the open day at Woodrush. I was up in the art studio co-ordinating the "have-a-go" table. It was the only real activity that the kids could try out. It was good doing little worshop sessions throughout the evening with potential pupils. I really felt like an ambassedor for the school. Part way through the evening I heard the unmistakeable chatter of Jason, Lank, and Daniel. They had come along to have a wonder round to meet some of the teachers that taught us all. Lovely... Except that they turned up looking like a bunch of escaped convicts!

The day after was interesting with all the staff remarking on what weird friends I have...
In Religious Studies Ms Shahid let the kiddies watch "The Nutty Professor" as a thankyou for their help the previous week in setting up the display in the classroom. I had forgoten how much swearing their is in it!

Anyway, today I electrocuted 2 pupils...

... Yes readers, you read that right. In science everyone was doing an experiment involving electrodes and conductive liquids. 2 pupils were messing around with them so I cranked the power packs from 2 volts up to 10 volts and just waited... Sure enough, they ended up touching electrodes without knowing I had given them a bit more kick.... Rather funny to watch and then even funnier when the teacher accidentally did it to another kiddie... Ha ha. Fantastic!

Well I went up the Swan tonight as per usual. We were all sat outside for a while but decided to move indoors when everyone started to feel the cold. We were then joined by a couple of morons who wanted to have a karaoke session so they started singing really loud, in a weird american accent. Trust me, the word "Wankers" doesn't even come close to describing them. Unfortunately Julia found them hilarious and was encouraging them by laughing along to their antics... Lovely... Not. I was glad to leave the place.

In lanks car on the way home I figured out how to take better quality videos on my phone, which was a bonus. I took a few "interesting" vids and have them stored on my PC. Ha ha!

Right, well I am off to bed now, readers. TTFN

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Reading Gallery 3

Here we are again folks. This is the final few photos from Reading...

All American Rejects seen here along with some guy with curly ginger hair not paying attention stood right in front of me...
___________________________________________________________________


And again, All American Rejects but this time the Ginger ninja has awoken from his drug induced meditation.

___________________________________________________________________Biffy Clyro: Bum waggling Scottish rockers who have their bass stupidly low. So low in fact that my chest started to hurt whilst listening to them!

And there we have it. that was the last of the pictures. Now on to blogging normaly again: Firstly, I have a new phone! It is a Sony Ericsson K750i and it is brilliant. I have changed from pay-as-you-go to a monthly subscription with O2 Online. Very nice. It came with the cable and software to connect it to my PC, and with a free Akono HBH-600 Bluetooth headset. This all looks rather niffty and performs well.

Yesterday, Me, Adam, Carl and John went for a curry at The Bilash in Knowle. I had something that came with hot battered bananas... Interesting.

We then went back to Adams house to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I had never seen it before but it was very interesting. I then came home and went to sleep. Lovely!

Right... I am off now to try and win an iPod mini with a packet of crisps... I doubt I will win but it's a bit of fun non-the-less. TTFN readers

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Reading Gallery 2

And here we go again readers with the second of the Reading Galleries. Due to Blogger having a limit on how many photos can be uploaded to a single post there will in fact be a gallery number 3! You lucky, lucky people!

Right, allow me to introduce some bands (and some rather bad photography)


Believe it or not, this is Queens of the Stone Age. In case you were wondering, the sticker on that bloke's cap says: "Bollocks To Poverty" but it is stuck on upside down.
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This is Million Dead playing inside the Lock up tent. I can't explain the purple stuff at the top of the picture. Perhaps I have succesfully photographed pure music!
___________________________________________________________________


Ah yes. Now we get to the big boys. See that little red dot in the middle of the photo? That's Dave Grohl, that is,

___________________________________________________________________


And again! This photo was taken after I muscled my was forward slightly along with Mr Turbitt.

___________________________________________________________________



A photo of Mr Grohl playing drums. The picture is of one of the big screens at the side of the main stage so that the people at the back can see...
___________________________________________________________________


Here we have a photograph of Mr Brian Warner, commonly known as Marilyn Manson. Again, the photo is taken of the big screen......

___________________________________________________________________

..... Because this is the actual view we had of him. He's there in the middle. Look. Can you see him?
___________________________________________________________________

And finally readers, possibly one of my better photos. This sunset happened on the Sunday evening. Lovely! Well that's it for now. Be on the look out for Gallery 3 featuring All American Regects and Biffy Clyro!

Friday, September 09, 2005

The Reading Gallery 1

Here it is folks. Sorry I haven't updated for a week but what with the new term starting I have been pretty busy. But enough of that. I present to you the first of 2 galleries of the 2005 Reading Festival.

This gallery is of the campsite and the people who I am proud to call my friends...

Right... On with the show!

Here we see Mr John Robinson (Photographus Maximus) in the age old tradition of "shoe swigging" where by one attempts to consume a quantity of alchohol from a form of traditional footwear.

__________________________________________________________________

Mr Robinson again, this time actually in the process of filling the shoe with his favorite beverage, Jack Daniels and coke. This type of behaviour has never before been witnessed first -hand in the wild.

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Dwelling next door to Mr Robinson was Mr Adam Turbitt. (Sensiblius Sensiblius) In this early morning photo the subject appears to be confused and dosile, probably due to lack of sleep. Do not let this facade fool you, however, as Mr Turbitt will often strike without warning and is particularly quick over short distances.

___________________________________________________________________

Ah, now we come to one of my favorite photos. A view of the campsite. Points of interest include my own dwelling, on the right, and the face of Miss Gemma Tonks (Lovelius Carlsbergia) peering out of her shared dwelling.

___________________________________________________________________

Here is a lovely view of some other dwellings dotted around the field. As you can see, territory is scarce and the different tribes will often fight for supremecy over a claim to a particular area of land.

___________________________________________________________________

Here, I am (on the right) joined my Mr John Robinson and Mr Adam Turbitt as we came across the second rarest species at the festival. Mr Luke Turbitt (Totalius Insanium) a close relation to Mr Adam Turbitt, but with a much more colourful plumage, as seen here.

Is it with regret that after a whole weekend with my cameras at the ready, I failed to catch the rarest species at the festival on film. That species being Miss Jo Hindmarsh. (shortius but sweetius) There is little photographic footage of this species as the sight of a camera causes her to dive back into her dwelling. One thing is fact though: Without her, or indeed the others, the whole weekend just wouldn't have been as good...

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Alton Towers: A day to remember

Well readers. On Tuesday I got to Kate's house at 08:45 to find that Kate, Naomi, James, Kirstie, Rebecca, and Connie were nearly ready (note: Kirstie and Rebecca are Kate's younger sisters and are at Woodrush, as is Connie, who is a friend of Rebbecas.) After some dallying about I set off with Naomi and Kirstie in my car with Kate and the others following me. We had to stop off at the post office because Naomi had to post a package but there was a queue (the first of many) which made us a little late. I got some petrol and checked my tires and then went off to Jennys house. I got there at about 09:30. She dived in my car and we set off to Alton Towers.

We headed through Birmingham towards Litchfield and Uttoxeter. The journey was uneventful except for a stretch of road just south of Abbots Bromley. A car coming the other way started flashing his lights at me. I slowed down because I thought he had spotted something wrong with my car, but that wasn't the problem. As we went round the next bend we saw mayhem. A Renault Clio was in the middle of the road with the windshield smashed in and the passenger side wing was badly dented. On the floor was thre remains of a motorbike, and the rider was lying face down on the verge with, and I'm not exaggerating, limbs twisted all over the place. His helmet was intact but it was obvious that his arms and legs were broken, if not shattered. There were no police or ambulances on the scene so I reckoned that the accident must have happened no more than 5 minutes before we passed...

... Nasty

We got to Alton Towers for 11:00... Correction... We got to the queue for Alton Towers for 11:00. After waiting to park, catching the monorail, and getting the wristbands it was closer to 12:00 noon. Since I couldn't decide what to get Kate for her birthday, I paid for her ticket (ain't I sweet? no? oh, ok then...)

Everyone went in to HEX first, which is basically like The Haunting at Drayton Manor with a virtually identical ride at the end. Afterwards Jenny, Kate, and Rebbeca went on Ripsaw. I chose not to as I was concerned that my breakfast would make a forced reappearance. After Ripsaw there was some confusion about whether or not to have lunch. Women, being women, decided to argue about it which upset Kate a bit. We sat down to lunch but Kate walked off. I decided to try and cheer her up so I went after her. After lunch it was decided that the group split up so that everyone got a chance to do what they wanted. Me, Jenny, Kirstie and Connie went on Nemesis. We then met up with the others to do Duel which is like a haunted house version of the Golden Nugget ride at Drayton Manor. I got a massive score, proving for once and for all that I am a true geek, but at least I am a geek with good aim! We then went to do the Log Flume. Me, James, Kate, and Jenny got in to one bath (yes, you sit in a bath) following the rest. Now why we didn't sit boy-girl-boy-girl I don't know. But we ended up with Jenny at the back with Kate sat between her legs and I was in the middle with James sat between my legs... Lovely... Not! On the way round Kate jumped out of her skin when a section of track ran through a dark tunnel and a giant rubber duck jumped out of the wall with a loud psychotic quacking sound... Freaky!

We then went round to the Rapids where me and Naomi got the brunt of the soaking... We decided to ride it again... Where me and Naomi got the brunt of the soaking.

Afterwards we wanted to ride the Runaway Mine Train but the rides were closing as it was 18:30. Naomi, Kate, and Jenny decided to try and jump over the gate to try and join the last of the queue but were spotted and told off by a man with a megaphone. Cheaters never prosper.

We then went round some of the little stalls before setting off to get back on the monorail to the carpark... Which we had to queue for... Yes, you even have to queue to leave! On the way back I went via the motorway. I dropped everyone off and then went up to the White Swan where I was joined by Jenny, Nikky, and Julia.

Altogether an enjoyable day.

Well thats enough from me. The Reading photos should be posted on Saturday.

TTFN readers.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Home at last!

Hello readers, well I have finaly returned from the Reading Festival 2005...

At 06:00 on Thursday I went to pick up John, Adam, Gemma, and Jo. I loaded the car with their camping gear and we set off down the Motorway at about o7:00. We got in to Reading at about 09:30 and were parked within about 15 minutes. We set up our tents in "Orange Camp" in a little circle with a space for a camp fire in the middle. We then had to find some means of passing the time as the music started on the Friday so the Thursday was spent getting to know where things were. We discovered that the toilets were horrible (they had no flush it was just a seat with a giant pit underneath. Very smelly and very unhygenic) and that the refreshment stand selling burgers and hot-dogs was next to the toilet block... Which was a little worrying (I refuse to do any "Brown Sauce" jokes at this point for the sake of good manners) we went back to camp and in the evening lit a camp fire to sit round before going to bed at about 03:00

And then it was Friday. Well we woke up and got down to the arena for 11:30. I wont give you a complete run-down of every band we saw but I will list them for you.


The Black Velvets

Your code name is: Milo
Goldie Lookin' Chain
The Coral
Queens of the Stone Age
The Killers
Pixies

Gemma was particularly excited about seeing the Pixies live as she is a huge fan. They came off the stage at 00:00 and we went back to the tents for another camp fire and a chat before going to bed at about 04:00.

On Saturday we got up and headed to the arena, on the way we walked passed someone dressed as a giant bottle of beer... We turned round to look at him and it was non-other than Adams brother, Luke! We couldn't believe it, but at the same time, not surprised either.

The bands we saw on the Saturday were:

Million Dead
Capdown
Hot Hot Heat
All American Rejects
Biffy Clyro
Razor Light
Kings of Leon
The Foo Fighters

The Foo Fighters were excellent and were my personal favorite of the festival. It was then back to camp for yet another fire and more drinking before going to bed at about 03:00

On the sunday I think everyone was looking forward to coming home to have a shower and their own beds. I offered to drive back Sunday night and not Monday morning like most people do. So Sunday went as followed:

We saw Funeral for a friend but then went back to camp to pack and get everything in my car except the tents. We then went back to the arena to see:

Iggy Pop and The stooges
Incubus
Marilyn Manson

Iron Maiden were headlining but no one really cared and just wanted to go home. We went back to finish packing, chatted to the people who were camped next to us for a bit (who always had a bigger fire than everyone else) and then started the long haul home.

Gemma was directing me from the back seat as there are, quite literally, no sign posts in Reading town centre apart from the ones telling you where the station is... Which didn't help me in the slightest. Fortunately, Gemma has a fantastic sense of direction and told me where to go.

I got home for 02:30 Monday (i.e. today) morning and got up at 11:00. It felt good to sleep on a mattress and to have a shower! I will post some pictures when I get the cameras back (I didn't risk taking my digital camera, I used disposable ones.)

Before I go I will say a big thankyou to Adam, Jo, John, and Gemma for a lovely weekend and for putting up with my antics (I can be a pain in the ass, but they seemed to manage ok)

Also, It is Kate's birthday today so Happy Birthday to her. I am going to Alton Towers tomorrow (I am driving! d'oh!) and I need to get her a card and a little present.

Right, thats me done. Check out Adams Blog and Johns Blog via my links section for more info' on our weekend in Reading and look out for pics' appearing very soon.

TTFN readers

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Monster Jam!

Well today was a bit different. Me and my dad went to see MONSTER JAM! at the N.E.C.... The only problem was that it was on at the N.I.A...

... Shit.

Well with some creative driving my dad got us to the N.I.A just as the show started. From the carpark all I could here was a loud rumbling sound. By the time we got to the doors the noise was very loud and we were given ear defenders. We went in to the arena and I thought that my brain was going to melt. 6 Monster trucks were doing donuts in the centre of the floor and they were all at full revvs... Insatiny!

The 6 Trucks were:

Grave Digger
Madusa
Monster Mutt
Superman
El Toro Loco
Escalade

They did the usual car crushing, donuts, wheelies, for about an hour before letting everyone recover with a 10 minute interval. Then came about 20 minutes of scrambers. 3 riders on dirt bikes were doing freestyle jumps over ramps. They were very skilled riders and some of the moves they were doing seemed to defy gravity!

Then came an unusual announcement...

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls if you have ear defenders we urge you to put them in and cover your ears..."

Now this was odd, since nothing on earth could be any louder than the 6 trucks at full throttle, and no warning was given about them. The announcement continued...

"If you do not have any ear defenders we advise you to leave the arena, the sponsors of this event do not accept any liability for any harm that comes to anyone who does not follow the advise given in this announcement."

Now I was interested. I was about to ask father what he thought it could be when all of a sudden, the Earth exploded...



... At least it sounded like it did. What it actually was, was a jet powered car. Well I say "car" it was hardly any bigger than a Go-kart. It had a fancy carbon shell that lifted off and a whacking great big jet engine from a Harrier on the back of it! It started doing burns and firing the jet on what the guy called "mega-flame" (you can imagine what it looked like)
before tearing out of the arena on full throttle deliberately blowing several safety barriers out of the way with the jets thrust...

... Which was nice.

The guy on the microphone said its engine produced 2000 horse power and the car weighed only 150Kg. Its top speed was 280mph and it was fully road legal!

Then it was more monster trucks for another hour doing freestyle crushes and big wheelies. After the show we came home as the fumes had started to make my head hurt! (typical Americans "hey why dont we have this, like, big monster truck session in doors, and like, completely not think about sufficient ventilation...")

I am going to work in a bit so I will sign out.

TTFN readers.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Finished!!!



Howdy readers, well as you can see the plaque is finished. The text was a Bitch to get right but it turned out all right. I must point out that the white area you can see to the left of the grapes is just a slight reflection off the flash on the camera and isn't visible on the wood. I presented it to Derek and Helen at the legion and was given a big round of applause by everyone. It was a really nice feeling!

On a totaly unrelated topic, It was my dads birthday today and me and my sister got him a watch from Argos. Its quite nice, the face is a solar panel so it doesn't need a battery.

Well I am knackered so thats about all from me readers. night night!

Monday, August 15, 2005

Sunday, August 14, 2005

I Blog, therefore I am.

Greetings and salutations readers. I feel the need to blog.

Well I did a bit more to that plaque I have been working on, and put the ground colour down for the bunch of grapes that sit to the left of the vine. Work on it has progressed slowly, but I told Derek that he could have it on Friday, so I had better get painting! I still have the text to do but at least it is now cut to shape. Pictures will follow at some point.

Thursday evening was quite uneventful. I should have been meeting Kate and Corrine in Solihull but Kate was ill so we have resheduled it for next week. I went with Lank to the Swan and met up with the usual crowd. We were sat outside and a good time was had by all.

On Friday at the Legion we had a new guy start so I am trainer/mentor for the poor lad. He works at Morgams (sorry, I mean "Mills") so he already recognises a few of our members.

Saturday afternoon I shot over to Carls house to borrow the Halo 2 expansion disk. The new maps are very good and I hope we can organise a 4-console system-link battle royal at some point.

The legion that night was a blast. The group on in the club were "Two-gether Duo" a husband and wife duet from Dudley and they are one of the best acts we get. They are a nice couple and their stage act is hilarious.

Right, that brings me to today, Sunday. I got up as usual and lounged around (As you do.) Had Sunday lunch, (As you do.) And shot off to work. (As only I do)

We were busier than usual because Wythall Carnival was on so all the people decided to come back to the Legion for a cheap pint. Sarahs, (who I work with) fiance (Nick) came in for a drink, but he ended up completely pissed and unable to drive home. We decided that if he went home with sarah in her car, then I could follow driving Nicks car and then Sarah could run me back to the Legion so that I could get my car and go home... So we did. Nick has a silver Escort which is quite nice to drive exept that it smells of fags.... Lovely (not!)

After work I had tea at my nans and came home for about 10:30.

I am hungry now so I will sign off... Over and Out.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

He's inside your mind...

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Brides of Chuckie

Greetings readers! Time for a quick update, me-thinks.

I got up today and went with Adam and Gemma in to Birmingham. Gemma had some old LP's that she wanted to get rid of... I say "some" it was more like "shit-loads" so me and Ad' were the hired muscles for the day. We offloaded them at Readintons Rare Records, thank god... I couldn't have carried them back to the car, my arms would have dropped off (I think they are slightly longer even now.)

We then went shopping... And bought bugger all. Gemma was being Adams "fashion guru" for the afternoon and I was.... well... sort of just there for no reason really, but thats beside the point. We didn't see anything adam liked so we came back. I went back to Ad's for a bit, for more Halo 2 before coming home to quickly get changed so that I could go back to Adams house so that we could go out for the evening after picking Jo up. We did the pub quiz at The Jug of Ale (our team name was "Brides of Chuckie") and came 16th out of 18 teams...

... Which is crap.

After we all went back to Jo's for a cup of tea before leaving at about 1am...

... I am now off to bed, because I am knackered. TTFN readers.


Question: What do you use to get Swarfega off your hands!?

Monday, August 08, 2005

Monday mornin'

Hello readers...

Well I got up this morning and shot over to Northfield to collect my grandad and head over to Faulkners Body Repairs to see about my bumper. They told me that it would probably be cheaper to get a second-hand one and get it sprayed to match. We shot over to a scrap yard which was ran by a trio of inbred, tea swigging, brainless goons. The conversation ran something like this:

Me: "Whatcha mate, I'm after a rear bumper for a '98 Mondeo, any colour, it don't matter."


Goon 1: *big swig of tea* "wha'?"

Me: "I've got a '98 Mondeo that needs a-"

Goon 2: "Nah we ain't got one"

Me: "Oh right, well do you get many in?

Goon 3: "We had one once... "

Goon 2: "Yeah..."

Me: "Right..... uh, ok.... cheers anyway lads"

All Goons: *incoherent mumbling*


Well after that I headed on home to get changed, grab some cash, and shoot over to Jennys because she had a day off work and wanted to go out somewhere. Being the perfect example of a gentleman (stop laughing) I said I would take her out for the day. We went to Anne Hathaways cottage over in Stratford (Just because neither of us had ever been.) We went round the cottage, went through a maze in the garden (oh christ, another maze!) and went round the shed which had some interesting facts about spades! (no, really!)

After leaving the cottage we went over to the Black Boy in Knowle for a spot of lunch. I had steak (like always) and I treated myself to a cheesecake for afters... Top grub! I dropped Jenny home, helped her water the flowers (ain't I sweet... It was a statement, not a question!)

I left Jen's at about 5-ish. I went home and watched Star-Trek before heading over to Adams house. Now the plan was to go and see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but that was put on hold because Gemma was busy and Jo had dissapeared off the face of the earth.

Me, Carl and Adams had an evening of childish behavior, that manifesting itself as a Halo 2 tournament.... Which I won. Now I know it is not exactly the most prestigious of awards but I was really kicking ass! I won every match and proved once and for all that I am a gaming geek... Fantastic.

Well I should be going to Brum with Adam tomorrow... Haven't been in a while so it should be interesting. I will blog all that happens.

TTFN readers.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

"Buddies"

Click play, and then scroll down



Thursday, August 04, 2005

Halo 2 trick

Check this out! I have never seen this before!

Halo 2 trick

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

See Ad' they aren't all bad..

I am so bored

I can't believe I am sat in my house not doing anything! I might phone Jo in a bit to see if she is doing anything. I have to get out of the house because it is really doing my head in. I have come to remember how awful daytime TV is and need a break.

Right. TTFN readers

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

You know you make me wanna shout!

Well it's all happening here readers. I have added a "Shout Box" to my side bar. You will have to scroll down to see it. In the shout box you can put in your name, type a short message, and post it. Feel free to shout about anything you want!

A spot of lunch.

Today I woke up feeling the effects of yesterday evening when Adam, Carl, Gemma, Jo, and myself went up to the Jug of Ale in Moseley. We had been to Becketts driving range before hand so we were feeling a bit thirsty. Carl and Gemma drove so, for once, I could have a drink.....

... So i did...

... I had 4 Guinness and blacks, and each pint was followed by a double Jack Daniels. This morning my body was a muddle of dehydration and mild alchohol poisoning. I cleared this up by having breakfast... So I had 3 bowls of Kellogs crunchy nut corn flakes. I then received a text message off Gemma asking me if I would like to "do" lunch. Since it has been a while since I met an attractive young lady to take to lunch I agreed. We met in the White Swan and I bought both of ours (See, I can be quite the gentleman at times, mind you, £2.99 for a carvery! Can't go wrong!) Serving the carvery was a chap who looked just like frank spencer (ooh, Betty) but he was very loud and over-chatty with all the pensioners.

Afterwards, Gemma had to get back to work and I came home. I remembered that yesterday the subject of school plays came up so I dug out "Beauty and the Beast" which was my big acting debut.... Sort of. I was "Ugly sister 2" and was in full drag. I made a note of who's who in the play and will lend it to Gemma or Jo at some point so that they can have a laugh at my expense. It really is funny watching me and Lank parade around in drag, arguing over a hat! Most of our lines were Ad-libbed so it was never the same twice! Ah... Happy days... Although if you think about it, what type of school makes two 8 year old boys perform a drag act?


Right. Thats enough for now readers. TTFN.


Question: If you put a bird in a wind tunnel, would it stay still in mid air?

Monday, August 01, 2005

I'm all set for the festival


Look what came for me this afternoon...

100th Post!

Yes readers. this is my 100th posted entry. Now I realise that people like Mr Robinson have achieved this milestone eons ago but I felt that I ought to mention it non the less. Gemma sent me a message earlier saying that she couldn't get a half day off work so we couldn't go and get her navel pierced. She will go next thursday, so I will be on hand to assist in any way possible. I phoned Jo today to ask her how her holiday went. The phone rang out, then I heard someone pick up and then turn the phone off.... I was most shocked. I have tried calling three times since and the phone is still switched off... She should be coming out later with the gang so I will ask her then what was going on... Well thats my day... Oh I have started work on a painting for a couple at the Legion who are moving to Greece. They want the name of their house (which is "Vine View Villa") on a wooden plaque. The couple in question is Derek and Helen who used to run the off licence next to the chemists by Morgam News (for those of you who know wythall.) They are a great couple and I am honoured that a piece of my work will be on display on the side of their new home. I have only just begun it so here is a sample of what will be the lower left section...






After it is all painted (The text at the top will be the most difficult) It will be cut into a wiggly type shape and sealed with a soft varnish. It should look really nice.

Well thats about it for today readers. TTFN

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Let the music play!

My car is now complete! Me and Kieron (thats my sisters boyfriend, incase you don't know) fitted my autochanger... Well Kieron fitted it and I sort of dotted about looking like i knew what i was doing... Which I didn't. I could see how it all plugged in and everything but I wouldn't have been able to run the cable through. He tucked it up between all the plastic panels and the upshot of it is that you wouldn't even know the cable is there. It is completely invisible. I was all happy and went to do my daily stint at the Legion. Coming out of the Legion at 7 o' clock I did a very stupid thing...

I reversed into a skip.

Now I always try and look for the good in any situation but this one really pissed me off. I had finaly got my car sorted and then I go and bugger it up by cracking my rear bumper on a big blue thunking great lump of metal...

Bollocks.

I will be phoning a few local body shops tomorrow to see if I can get it sorted. Well at 8 o' clock I went down to my nans and watched Top Gear. Whilst watching Top Gear I received a text message. It read:


From: GEMMA
TONKS

gaz, wil U cum with
me to get my navel
pierced tomorrow
?


I thought "this might be fun!" and agreed. Although seriously I suppose it is a daunting task and I will be on hand to offer any support required. I will consider it my good deed for the day.

Changing the subject entirely, yesterday was my great aunt and uncles Golden wedding anniversary. about 25 of the family went to a pub in Abbots Bromley. I drove myself, mother, Selena and Kieron. I was following my nan and grandad. It was a good drive and I had forgotten how driving through the queensway makes you feel like you are in Monaco! We got there early and were stood on the carpark for half an hour until the place opened. I had an 8oz fillet steak with new potatoes. And cherry cheesecake for dessert. Lovely!

We got home much earlier than expected and, since I had booked the night off work, I went over to Adams house. Gemma phoned him and asked if he wanted to go for a drink in the Plough. We both went and talked all night about how Gemma notices when people fancy other people and how she wanted either a vibrator, or a "3 minute man" as a boyfriend... Rather odd, yes but thats how the conversation went. (The navel pircing wasn't mentioned at this point.) We all left at 11:15 and by 11:40 had all gone home and logged on to MSN messenger where we continued talking about... stuff, before we all decided to log off and get some shut-eye.

Well thats that. I am going to get something to eat, I'm hungry!

TTFN readers

Friday, July 29, 2005

How lazy am I?

Howdy readers. well I woke up today, glanced at my alarm clock and all I could see was

11:40 am

I thought... "hmm... Thats not right. I wonder why it's saying 11:40?" The answer was very simple. It WAS 11:40. I had not woken up (which is strange for me as I usually get up at about 9:30 If I have nothing to do)
But how bad is that? Half of my day, vanished due to lazyness. Let this be a lesson to you all. Lazyness will defeat the best laid plans (Hey! that sounded like it could make a really good proverb! Lets see if Mr Turbitt will use it on his blog... If he does, I know it has made the grade.)

Thats it for now readers. Consider this blog a therapy session for me, and yourselves as my Psychiatrists.
Blog-ya-laters.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Damn that card shop


When and how did he borrow my beard and 'tash?