Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Oom-pah-pah. Oom-pah-pah. That's how it goes...

Hello readers and welcome to this weeks update, posponed 24 hours so that I may blog the Bank Holiday.

Lets dive straight in with last Monday. After work I came home to relax and in the evening I went over to Adams as usual to arse around on the xbox.

Tuesday, work went quite quickly and in the evening I DIDN'T go to Solihull! No,Instead Adam came over to my house where we had a look at the DragonBall Z: Burst Limit demo before heading up to The Peacock on Icknield Street to meet up with Jo and Paul. We sat outside for a bit but moved in when we started to get a bit chilly. A good time was had by all but at 11:00pm we decided to call it a night.

Wednesday. After work I stayed behind to help out with "Science Club" it sounds nerdy but I assure you it isnt! We were basically playing with Methane bubbles made by bubbling Methane through fairy liquid. We then ignited the bubbles for no other reason than the fact that it looks cool. It was then mentioned that due to the rate of combustion producing only the energy required to ignight the fuel (the methane) then the fireball that was created didn't have sufficient energy to burn things as you might expect... And therefore, anyone ignighting the solutuion on their skin "shouldn't" be burned...

... So what did I do? Yep! I picked up a load of the stuff and set myself on fire!

It was brilliant! My hands went up in a fireball but it didn't have any affect on my skin... So then I thought "what if I could "throw" the bubbles at a small flame? Could I launch a fireball from my hands? Obviously I had to try! Now I do have a video that shows me doing this rather succesfully, but it was recorded by one of the kiddies and bluetoothed to me. The problem is I can't uploaded it here without being in breach of a multitude of child protection laws, so, no vid, sorry. The best I can do is show you a random youtube video of someone demonstrating the basic princible...







I did the same thing but rather than have someone ignight the bubbles for me, I thrust my hands (a la: "dragonball Z Kamehameha" style) over a lit splint and watched the flame erupt from my hands...



... WHICH LOOKS SO COOL!


Anyway, I came home and watched some TV before going down to Fathers as usual.


Thursday... In the evening it was The Packhorse as usual. Lank picked me up and off we went. We grabbed the comfy seats, and stayed there until it was going-home time at about 11:30pm. A good night was had by one and all!


Friday. The school bell heralded the begining of half term. I came home to fiddle with the PC and decided that, actually, going out was a bad idea. here I was, snug in my lounge and would have to go out in to the dreary cold to do anything. I therefore decided that a night in was for the best and so that is what I did.


Saturday. The day was spent doing pretty much nothing until about 6:30pm when I went to Lanks to grab a taxi to pick benji up to go in to Birmingham! Gemma was having a leaving do from work at The Bier Keller in Exeter Street. We got there for about 8-ish after meeting up with the rest of the gang. It was pretty quiet when we went in but started to pick up after a while. In fact it turned in to a fantastic evening, with everyone dancing on the tables and singing along... I think I have the perfect picture to sum up how the evening went...


So, Mr. Thomas, how good was the Bier Keller?






Oh yeah! It was THAT good! We stayed there until god-knows-what-time before deciding that we must call it a night and heading off to find a taxi at New Street Station.


I awoke on Sunday with an OK head and had dinner. I then went off to the legion as usual. It was pretty dead in the Legion so time seemed to drag a bit but 7:00pm came along eventually and I made my getaway. I went down to nans for tea and to watch Heatbeat! (sad, yes, but I don't care!)


So on to Monday. The day was spent pottering about until lunch time when me, mum, Selena, Kieron, nan and grandad went for a meal at The Hollybush. When we arrived we found that the winds had bought a nearby tree down that was blocking the road, so we had to park up the top and walk down the hill. We got seated and ordered. I had the 10oz Ribeye steak which is always good. After wolfing that back and a couple of drinks we set back home. I relaxed for a few hours before getting ready to go out somewhere special... I was off to see Lee Evans at the Bromsgrove Atrix theatre! Basically it is a warm-up tour of his new material before he does his main tour later this year. The venue is tiny and we were 5 rows from the front! No photography was allowed during the performance, but I got one of the stage to show just haw close we were...


Now thats quite close! His new stuff was brilliant, and he actually had his script notes in his hand, since it's that new he hasn't had time to learn it all off-by-heart yet! He did two halves of about an hour and a half each and finished with a request... His version of bohemian rhapsody! If you have never seen it, here's a video of one of his bigger tours a few years a go...



It makes me laugh everytime I watch it!

We eventually came home and I dropped of Selena and father. I came home and went to bed...

Which is where i will leave you readers. TTFN!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The corrolation between lizards and memory loss...

Hello readers and welcome to this weeks late blog.

I will begin as per usual with last Monday where, after doing some painting for the school, I came home to, well, um... Blog, actually. In the evening I went over to Solihull with John to Adams where we enjoyed a relaxing evening of TV and Xbox.

Tuesday: I went back over to Adams and did the exact same thing as I did the evening previous...

Wednesday came along, as it often does after a Tuesday, and in the evening I went down to Fathers and then took a trip up to The White Swan to meet up with Donna and co'.

Thursday. The evening was spent in the Packhorse having a good ol' chat anda sing-song... Well, ok, maybe not a sing song, but you get the general idea.

Ah, Friday. I woke up with my sinuses full of gunge and my head felt like it was going to explode under the pressure, and my throat felt like I had swallowed a cheese grater! Yep, I was ill! I called in to work sick and went back to bed. By the time I awoke at about 3pm I wasn't feeling too bad and decided that I would venture out that evening to watch Marcus and his Dad play with their band and The Red Lion in Shirley. Kate picked me up for about 8:10pm and after heading towards The Red Lion in Earlswood, found her way to Shirley. I was armed with Strepsils though, to keep the illness at bay...

... Now here's where it gets interesting. You see after the songs and the booze we were waiting for the band to tidy away, and Neil, who works behind the bar started pouring all sorts of cocktails and wonderfully colourful drinks for everyone. I, on the other hand was the proud recipient of something that looked quite ordinary... A clear liquid in a regular whiskey glass. I was told that it:

  • Wasn't Gin or Vodka

  • Had only been served 5 times in the pubs history
  • Came in an unusual bottle

and, last but not least (though probably most important)

  • Would make me so drunk that I wouldn't be able to walk out of the pub!

So I necked it!

Saturday... I woke up at about 12:00pm mid day not remembering how I got home, how I got to bed, or how it was that I was still alive! Nan, Grandad, and Selena came up as usual for the wine. I stayed off any alcohol until I was sure I was completely sober... Which I wasn't too sure about!

I browsed through my phone looking for clues as to what happened the night before and I came across this...



and then this...



Then it clicked! I remembered why the bottle was so special. The thing you can see in the bottle is a fully grown (but obviously dead) male lizard! Yep! thats right a lizard... A gekko, to be more precise. I remembered necking it and feeling fine... For about 15 minutes and then it hit me like big sensory wrecking-ball! The rest is still a blur though.

In the evening I went over to Kierons while Selena and mum went to play bingo! We pratted around on Mario Kart for the Wii until Selena got back. We had a laugh until it was about 11:00pm and then I decided to call it a night and left. I came home to download the Dragonball Z: Burst Limit demo from Xbox Live marketplace before going to bed.

Sunday. I woke up covered in blood... Yes. You read that correcty. My pillow (not to mention my face) were covered in blood... It took me a few seconds to realise that I was in the middle of the worlds biggest nose-bleed! (lovely!) I came to the conclusion that it had happened due to the pressure in my sinuses, and the fact that I have weak blood vessels in my nose (thats why I never blow it, because I would just end up staining my shoes red all the time!) I got cleaned up, had dinner at 1:30pm and set off to the Legion. After a while I was stood at the bar and guess what? Yep, it started doing it again! My head was hurting so when my face exploded (which is the only way I can describe it) I could actually feel the relief of pressure behind my eyes! It is the worlds most strangest sensation... Not entirely unpleasant either actually since it does indeed relieve the pressure you have in your face! I managed to stop it (though it took me a good 10 minutes!) and at 7:00pm I went home. I then went down to nans for supper and to watch Heartbeat on ITV!

Monday. I got up and my pressure pains in my head had returned, but not so much that I could forget about it. I went to work and came home at 4:00pm after doing some painting.

In the evening I went over to Adams to prat about on GTA4. I came home, after dropping Luke home, for about 11:30pm and i went to bed.

Today, my head and throat hurt! Seriously, I'm not to sure if this is a cold, or hay-fever. I stopped at spar on the way to workto get some Venos cough syrup, and some Vicks sinus capsules. I also took some strepsils with me and so, as I sit here, with my achy head and sore thoat, I am completely doped up on medicine...

... ha ha... see how the elephants dance across the screen... look at them! their pretty dresses look so velvety... hey! Mr. Churchill, what are you doing here...? You like the elephants as well? wow... shall we say bye-bye to our readers? yes...

bye-bye readers.... mmm.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Did you hear about the dyslexic pimp? He bought himself a Warehouse!

Hello readers and welcome to this weeks slightly shorter blog!

You may remember that I bloged up until last Monday so that I could relate the Bank-Holiday goings on to you all.

So lets begin with last Tuesday. The evening was spent with John and Adam having a good old fashioned cheating session with GTA 4. There are numerous little bits 'n' pieces to find within the game and so we started a new game save to spawn ourselves the best weapons, vehicles, and the such-like to mess about with. (those of you who have never been INSIDE the statue of happiness, spawn a chopper and go do it! It's weird!)

Actually, as a side story, when I went to pick john up I was surprised to see, plainly hanging from a telephone cable, a single shoe! Whoever threw it must have been some sort of professional footware-hurler (or a strong-armed tosser! ha ha!)

I took a zoomy photo just because of the pure sillyness of it...


Anyway. At about 11:30pm we called it a night and we left.

Wednesday and in the evening I went down to fathers for a bit before popping off to The Swan to meet Donna and co' to assist them in losing the quiz! After some dismal "stand-up bingo" and the final round, we left and I came home to bed.

Thursday. The evening was spent in The packhorse, though Mr Thomas was not in residence. The numbers were bolstered though, because Jess and Paul were there along with the kiddies and Pauls brother. Lets hope they come out more often!

Friday. The weekend... The evening was spent with Jenny, Adam, and Marcus along with a lot of Jenny's work collegues out and about in Solihull. We met in Lloyds bar and after a few hours downstairs, we moved up to the 1st floor where the partying was done. I didn't over do myself though, and left at a reasonable 12:30am.

Ah Saturday. Me and Kieron went for a pint in The Packhorse whilst mum and Selena were shopping. We pulled up to encounter a group of horses in the carpark! Yes, horses. The riders were standing around with drinks, chatting. After a while Selena and Mum turned up and had a drink, and we got something to eat, though to be honest I don't think the usual chef was on, since the food wasn't the best I've ever had at the Packhorse.

In the evening I met up with Jason, Gemma, and Becky and we went for a pint in The Resevoir. 2 of my ex-year 11's now work in their as restaurant staff and so we got the promise of "really nice desserts" if we ordered them. We ordered food first, but after stuffing myself with grub couldn't bring myself to eat dessert, so maybe another time. After closing time we phoned for a taxi to drop us back home and I was in for 12:00am midnight.

Ah, Sunday. I had dinner and then went to do my stint at the Legion. We were quite busy due to the football. We had Man-Utd on one telly, the Villa on another and The Blues on the radio! After the cheering of the 3 glory-hunters... Sorry, I mean Man-Utd fans, and the so-so chat of the Villa supporters who I suppose were happy enough with 6th place, we endured the back-chat and despondant arguments from the blues fans who have to face another season in the 1st division. (oooh! Get me, talking about the football like I know all about it!) Afterwards I went to nans for tea as usual before coming home and watching a bit of Jack Dee and QI before going to bed!

And thats the end of that chapter...

TTFN readers.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Why do ATM machines have to work on Bank Holidays?

Hello readers and welcome to a TUESDAY blog! While this counts as “late” I have in fact left it so that I may blog the Bank Holiday while it is fresh in my head, rather than write about it next Monday…

So lets’ begin…

Last Monday work flew by and in the evening I went over to Adams with my hard drive so that we could play a bit of Call of Duty under my name, since my ex-box (ha, see the pun there!) is still in the repair centre.

Tuesday… After work I came home and lounged in front of the PC for a bit before watching some Dragon Ball Z. I then had tea and went back over to Adams for a bit more Call of Duty.

Wednesday. After work I had to stay behind until 5:30pm to photograph the school fashion show! I tried my best but some of the photo’s were naff, though I blame this on the equipment and my instructions…

1) The camera was a bog-standard Kodak.
2) I wasn’t allowed to use the flash.
3) The kiddies didn’t stand still.
4) It was dark.
5) The spot lights were flashing, not still.

Now call me “Mr. Fussy” but I think a dark room, photographing a moving target with no flash, is pretty much a photographers worse nightmare (and I’m not a photographer!)

In fact I would like Mr Robinsons opinion on the matter (and to tell me if such a task is even possible!) since he is far better than me at professional photography.

In the evening the T.A’s from Woodrush decided to go and enter the quiz at the Swan… We got there for 7:30pm and had a carvery first, then waited until the quiz started. We were doing very well and even held it together in the music round… The result? A resounding 2nd place! We won £20 (which meant £2.50 each with a bit left over) which was nice. Anne dropped me home (as she had driven) and I went in to bed.

Thursday. After work I watched some Dragon Ball Z before being picked up by Lank and deposited in the packhorse as per usual. Much merriment was to be had by all until closing time. At around 11:30pm we decided to call it a night and Lank dropped me home.

Friday… Ooh… smell that 3 day weekend!

In the evening I went over to see Kate (that’s “College Kate” as I call her) I took my USB stick with me to copy some files to her new laptop for her. After fiddling with her laptop for a… No wait, that sounds dodgy…. After transferring and printing the files on her new computer (that’s better!) we sat and watched TV for a few hours before I came home to beddie-byes.


Saturday was a bit of a non-day. I got up, had dinner and went over to Solihull, then came back and watched some DBZ (I think)

Sunday After my usual stint at the Legion, Lank picked me, Dan, Kate and Ben up to go bowling. We met Jenny and Marcus there for 8:00pm and got underway. Ben won the first game, and Mr Bennett, after a rather spectacular flying-leap down the alley, won the second. We then had a quick mess around in the arcade before heading home. I got in and went straight to bed!

Bank Holiday Monday. I had arranged to meet up with Donna so I picked her up and we went and had lunch at The Black Boy in Knowle after a brief session of walking round the shops in Solihull. When we got to The Black Boy we found a table and ordered some grub (I had faggotts, chips, and mushy peas!)

After stuffing myself, me and Donna went back to hers to have a gander at t’internet to see if we could book some tickets to see Phantom of the opera… We could have done so… If we wanted to spend £120 each on the show and a room!

… erm… no!

So we have postponed it for the time being until we either have the funds or some sort of “money-off coupon” (they have those for the theatre, right?)

Well afterwards I came home to grab a bite to eat and went back over to Adams. Whilst there, Donna phoned to say that she wouldn’t mind coming out for a drink so Me and Adam went over to The Greville and were joined a while later by Donna. We had a drink and a laugh before calling it a night at about 11:20pm. I came home to grab a cold drink and go to bed ready for work the next day!

And that is where I will leave you readers.

TTFN!