I ain't afraid of no ghost...

Hello readers, and welcome to this weeks thrilling update!


Because it is currently late and I have work tomorrow (as do all of you, I imagine!) I will keep my words short, and my setences brief...


So lets begin!


Monday. Now Monday is a bit of an oddity... I am capable of doing daft things but I did something on Monday that takes stupidity to a whole new level...


Ready for the story?


Ok, I had seen a magic trick done using a post-it note and a staple gun.... The idea is you make it look like you have stapled the note to your forehead, without actually doing so... Basically the trick is you put a staple in the post-it note, but keep that hidden from the viewer. You then say "I bet I can staple this to my head and it wont hurt!" you then take an EMPTY staple gun, stick the post it note (with the staple already in it) to your head, pull the trigger on the EMPTY staple gun, and "voila!" it looks like you have stapled your forehead!

Now guess what I did wrong!


No... I know what you are thinking, but I definitley emptied the staple gun before the trick (I'm not THAT stupid!) No, the mistake I made was after emptying the staple gun, I left it out while I went to find the post-it note...


... During which time, someone re-filled it!


So, when I put the note on my head and pulled the trigger...


... I shot a 13/6mm staple in to my forehead! If you don't believe me check out the photo...

It isn't a very good quality picture, I know but if you look right up at the top, in the midle you will see a red cut on my forehead...

Ah well, It is a lesson learnt, I supppose...

In the evening Me, Adam, and Jo went round to Carls to watch a DVD we watched Tenacious D and the pick of destiny. Always a good choice, since it it so damned funny!

Afterwards I came home to beddie-byes.

On Tuesday work went as normal. I received the expected bout of jokes involving staples, as by now all the kiddies, and all the staff had heard the tale of the man who stapled his face...

I got through the day by not listening to anyone and just keeping my head down (literally!)

In the evening Mr Bennett popped round. We ended up watching a 9/11 conspiracy video on youtube

Anyway, that was that...

On Wednesday work continued in the usual trend, and in the evening I went down to fathers as usual. I resigned myself to watching the England game though, as anyone who knows me is fully aware, I absolutely cannot stand the blasted sport. We will never win anything important because our team is a bunch of pampered glamour-boys who would rather pose for the cameras, or indorse the latest fashion trend, than actually get on the pitch and play the game they are supposed to be good at...

Anyway. After we won (I can't even name the team we were playing... If you know, feel free to put it in my shoutbox) I went home ready to face the perils Thursday would bring...

Well... Thursday wasn't that perilous, actually... Sorry for the misleading omnious ending to that sentence... Thursday was quite a nice day!

In the evening I had a shindig to attend. It was Lorraine Lakes' (family friend, fellow skier, and surrogate mother whilst everyone is in Austria!) Birthday and there was a suprise party at the Barnt Green Inn. If you have never been, I would recommend it.

We arrived about half-an-hour before Lorraine, as did various other people who we know through skiing and a few people we didn't! When she arrived she was thoroughly shocked, but thrilled. I left at about 10:00pm to drop in on the Packhorse for a quick pint with the usual gang before coming home.

Friday... I love Fridays. I got up, went to work, didn't injure myself, and before I knew it, it was 3:30pm and home time! I got in, got changed had tea, and at about 6:00pm shot off to Adams ready for a bit of a night out! You see Gemma knows this band called The Chairmen who were playing at a gig over in Hinkley, and Adam, Jo, and myself were going to watch them, so we picked Jo up and set off. We got there well before any of the bands were on, but when it all kicked-off, we had a good old time. (Even though Jo questioned my dancing abilities, which, to be fair were quite good considering the music isn't exactly what you would slow-dance to, there was limited room, and we were both drunk!)

After the Chairmen and some other bands had played, The Rumble Strips finished off the night. We then high-tailed it back to the Red Lion where we had a good old fashioned lock in. (I love the Lion Lock in sessions!

At god-knows what time... 3:00am I think! we left because me and Adam had to be up early the next day! because we were off to warwick Race course.

Adam had got a spare ticket for a trip to the races organised by one of his old classmates from St Peters. I decided to go, but because I was going out to the NEC in the evening (more about that in a bit) I decided to drive, rather than go on the coach that was provided, so I could leave early. We got to Olton station, the pickup point, and we set off. Adam was on the coach, having a chat to friends he hadn't seen in ages, and I followed in my trusty Mondeo. We got there and got settled. The first race I picked the winner, but only put a "to place" bet on, so I didn't win much... £3.10 to be exact. The next race, half an hour later, my horse didn't do very well and came in about 6th. race number 3 I won a few pounds and race four, again, I picked the winner, but only had a "to place" bet on, so I won about £7.00 though I did get a good photo of the race...

Not to bad I suppose. Whilst we were there we got talking to one of Adams old classmates, Helen, and her Boyfriend Simon. They were very nice people and I hope Adam invites them out for a drink at some point, since they are both a good laugh.

At about 4:30 I left, and Adam decided he was leaving as well, since he was getting a bit bored, and he also had some stuff to shift in to Carls, ready for when he moves in.

We jumped in my car and set off. I dropped Adam home and shot back to my house to get changed because I was off out with my mum, Selena, Nan, and grandad to see James Last in concert at the NEC.

You see we bought the tickets as a present for my nan and grandad last christmas. James Last (who my nan and grandad are huge fans of) is currently doing his last ever UK tour. So it seemed like a logical christmas present. We set off at about 6:15pm (Grandad was driving) and, afterparking in carpark E1, the most difficult carpark to find...

...EVER!

We walked over to the coach that drops you at the NEC arena doors. Getting seated was no problem, and before long, the lights went down and the Orchestra came out, followed by the man himself.

Now there is a bit of a story here, because something happened that I didn't expect...

Naturally I took some photo's and have a couple of videos for you to enjoy, but it's the photo's i want you to see, and to give me your explanations for...

About 20 minutes in to the concert, I decided to take a couple of photo's so I took this first one...

Not a fantastic image, I agree, but other than that, completely normal...

Now about 30 seconds after I took that photo, I decided to take another one without quite so much zoom... The next photo is the result....

See it? That dark shadow at the front of the stage. I promise you that there was no-one stood there when I took the picture. It isn't one of the band as everyone who appears on the previous picture, appears on this one... And anyway, the people who are wearing black still show up on camera. That figure is just pure shadow! Spooky or what!?

Seriously, it freaked me out!

Anyway, I took some other photo's... the next one was during a version of "singing in the rain"

Note the audience nutters with the brollies!

This next one was taken during a performance of "Somewhere over the rainbow"

Ah... pretty. They did a lot of James Lasts own compositions including something called "Tapesty of civilisation" which blended music styles from all over the world in to one piece. They did an Abba medley, some Shakira, and Mariah Carey songs. There was a lot of "big band" stuff as well as a few songs that you may recognise readers... Here they are for you... (though I appologise the picture isn't too good, and the sound could be better...








Yep! a 78 year old, pedantic German composer/conductor likes U2 and Green Day... Now thats cool!

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I love live music.

After the show we made our way back home. I was pretty tired by this point so I went straight to bed.

Today i woke up and was invited by Selena to go over to her place because her and Kieron have bought Trivial Pursuit: Lord of the Rings Edition! We played 2 games, neither of which I won...

... I will have to get Carl involved as a team-mate if I want to win...

Anyway that about wraps it up readers...

... Oh except that I have completed another drawing (remember last time I said I would upload them as to keep a record, and so you lot could pass judgement?) Well, here it is...

It is a Californian Poppy. It's not too bad, though it looks like an ilustrative drawing, rather than an arty one. Still, it will do.

Right. I'm off to bed, readers.

TTFN