R.I.P Bonnie

An aside.

It's 7 years today since my first doggy Bonnie died.

Still miss you my little friend x

iFAILS and iWINS!

So today I reached a decision. Recently, I have worked out who my friends are. It's not tricky, friendship is a two-way thing and if you're not going to make the effort then I'm not either. If you don't want to be my friend because you don't like who I am or what I do, that's fine, but either say so, or just naff off. Don't linger out of some sense of propriety.

In other news, I have decided to get a Blackberry when my contract runs out in a couple of months, and get rid of my now USELESS iPhone. What I will do, is get an iPad so that I've still got a cool touchy screeny thing to play with. My phone really has become unbearable since I did the new update. If I open my text inbox, it takes about five seconds for anything to happen. Same if I try and open a text. It also keeps freezing, turning itself off, and the contact list randomly opens for no reason. I had just under an hour's conversation this evening and despite charging my phone this afternoon, I had to charge it again whilst still on the phone because I got the 'Low battery' warning. Utter crap. I have a lot of friends who I consider to be Apple newbies, and they're horrified that I could consider giving it up. Fact is, I've been using Apple products for twenty years, and I've never had a problem before. I have come to expect a certain standard, and I'm just not getting it, so I'm going to get something else. Okay, they're not losing out cos I'll get an iPad, but I'm not happy with them, because they were one of very few constants in my life. Apple have always been the brand I can trust. This iPhone fail has put them on shaky ground with me, though I don't anticipate any other product failures, I think it's simply the bad design of the iPhone. I've never understood why things are where they are on it, and having fiddled around with some other phones, the BlackBerry just came out on top. I like that it's fat, and a nice shape to hold. I like the way it works, and everything on it seems to be more thought out in terms of usability. Okay, I know it's lacking in some of the more flashy apps, but I'm not precious about phones, all I ever want in a phone is something I like that works. I got an iPhone because I'm an Apple user, I'm not into the status aspect of it. If it was the most unpopular phone ever but worked awesomely, I'd have it. The fact it's now shit annoys me, and as the new one is also crap, I feel a trade in is my best option.

I'd just like to say how much I'm enjoying 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand.' Initially, I complained that there wasn't enough fighting because they seemed too busy trying to fit boobs into every scene. Well, thankfully, they've cut back on the boobs a bit, and the fighting has increased tenfold. I already know what happens (I hate surprises to the point I have to know the entire plot of anything before I watch it, or I can't bear it!), and I'm excited about it. I love the imagery, the gore, the whole spadoopa! I also love 'Justified,' and not just because it has Timothy Olyphant in it. It's just a ruddy good programme about a US Marshal that's hidden amongst the bajillion random Channel Five channels floating around. I enjoy it every week, it's up there with 'The Mentalist' for me. Have enjoyed the new BBC Three series 'Mongrels' too, though I now need to have me a fat cat called marion. I don't watch a lot of TV, along with the odd 'Midsomer Murders,' this is pretty much it. I don't watch any of the popular stuff that people are always talking about, I'm really not down with the kids, but I'm fine with that.

That is in fact the lesson I have learnt as I've been thinking about the whole friends thing recently. I'm pretty much ill all the time, I'll never have a career, I have a lot of free time, but I'm happy doing either nothing or reading/listening to random interesting stuff. I don't feel the need to improve myself, I know I have no real skills, I don't need to find something I'm good at. All I do, is sleep (a lot), read, listen to the radio, watch a bit of TV, see a select few people here and there, sing in a band, keep the house clean and tidy, look after the Mr when he comes home, and look after my dog every day. I think I do these things reasonably well, and I'm happy with that. I appear to have lost a lot of friends who don't understand why I have no ambitions, why I'm not out socialising all the time, why I'm not out and about on mini-breaks or days out, why I've not had any kids like they have. But, I still have a few (and it is a few, but Id rather have a couple of really good friends than loads of faux friends) friends left who don't care about any of this. They are just my friends and that is it. They don't expect me to do anything other than be their friend back. If I want to moan about something, they listen, if they want to moan about something, I listen. It's not complicated at all, but I think it takes a long time to realise who your true friends are, and though I will never understand how some of the other ones work, at least I know which ones I can always rely on.

I wouldn't describe myself as a life-loving happy person, I would say I'm content. I seem to have a lot of bad luck so I tend to have bouts of miserableness. To some, mine is probably a waste of a life, but it is exactly that, MINE. It's my life to waste if I want, if you don't like it, I don't care. Ultimately, I'm FINE with that. Frankly, aside from the health thing, I wouldn't swap with anyone. I am a contented non-achiever for which I make no apologies.

*Note in response to image. It's goodbye actually...

Pawcakes & Seways

So yesterday was our wedding anniversary. We made pancakes for breakfast, and Hefty made one in the shape of a paw!


Then we headed out to York, dropping Ozzy off on the way. The weather was alright yesterday, quite warm, and when we got there we decided to head straight to the Jorvik Centre. This folks, is a Viking centre, all about....Vikings! There's stuff to look at and a ride thing where you sit in a boothy thing that floats round a Viking village. It's alright, but it STINKS, because they pump air into it that is supposed to be the same as it was back then. Let me tell you, HORRIBLE, and it makes you feel sick after a while. Anyway we did that, then wandered around looking for somewhere to go for lunch.

We ended up going to a place called 'Betty's,' which is really famous in Yorkshire. It's a tea room type place, they do the whole afternoon tea as well as proper food, but they also have a shop that sells baked goods and chocolate. It's a real tourist trap in these parts, people rave about it all the time. I've been loads of times, I think it's pretty good, but it's overrated, one of those places people go to cos everybody else does. Hefty hasn't been which is why we went. And it was okay, we had a decent lunch, but I can still think of places I'd rather go.

After that, we meandered round the shops a bit, and then ended up deciding to just go home. We were going to look round the Minster, but you have to pay to go in and though we're the least tight people in the world, it was a rip off, so we didn't bother. I'd wanted to go to the York Dungeon but it was getting on for 4pm, and you don't really want to stay too late as the traffic gets so bad round there that you never get out. So we went home.

We thought we might go into Leeds for dinner, to our favourite Japanese restaurant, but on the way home we were so tired we decided to just call at M&S and pick up some nibbley food instead. It wasn't nice enough to sit outside when we got home so we ended up catching up on TV! I feel responsible for the non-event of a day, as it was my bright idea, but Hefty had a nice time (beats work) and was happy enough. We normally go to the Trafford Centre for our anniversary (just cos there's nothing to do round here and it was something we started doing), and I wish we had. It's easier to make a proper day out there cos there's a lot more shops, ones we don't have easy access to here, and lots of places to eat and stuff. FAIL on my part. Next year I'll know better. I'm sure most people try and go away or something, but whenever we go away for a day or two, it always ends up being more hassle than it's worth, and we wish we'd not bothered, which is why we started down the shopping centre route (we both excel at shopping). Meh. Never mind.

Today has been uneventful, we tried to sit in the sun for a while after we'd picked Ozzy up, but the cloud kept coming over and spoiling it, so we ended up back inside. I decided to start looking at holiday activities for when we go in October, and discovered some random things. We're off to Hawaii, so I found this website called Go Hawaii and had initially planned to look up helicopter tours, cos Hefty really wants to do one. Unfortunately, Hefty's many years of weight-lifting has backfired for the first time. There's a weight limit on helicopters, and unless we go up one at a time, I'll have to lose four stone before then to accommodate Hefty's bulk. Rubbish! There are plane tours but they also involve mini buses and an itinerary as such, which neither of us were keen on. You can go on a regular minibus tour which we might consider, but I stumbled across a section called 'Segway Tours.' That's right! You can do a plethora of island tours on a Segway! Both of us are WELL up for that so it's just a matter of picking which tours we want to do! One of the pictures on the site made me laugh, it's such an odd sight:


Not planning on doing a whole lot that holiday, but it's nice to do the odd thing here and there. I haven't been for sooo long, so I'm excited to see how it's changed.

Last night (just remembered), I had to endure watching Glastonbury coverage. I try to be open-minded about music but I rarely see anyone there who I like the sound of. I like a lot of different stuff, not just Metal, but it seems they really put a lot of filler on at Glasto. The first thing we saw was a rapper type called Dizzy Rascal, who MURDERED 'Smells like teen spirit' by Nirvana. It's got to be one of the easiest songs to play on a guitar, but his guitarist chopped through the riff whilst he rapped some shit over the top of it. AWFUL. Then there was some nondescript bloke with a guitar and a drummer whose name I can't even remember (by the way, I'm probably not spelling any of these people's names properly, but I don't care about them enough to look up the correct versions), then the dullest band in the world, who had sounded good from the intro. Vampire Weekend, I thought that sounded promising, but they were hammering out boring, predictable crap that sounded like it had been ripped off from a whole host of other crap people. I left the room at that point, decided tidying the kitchen was preferable. I then went to bed, but Hefty came upstairs not long after that and put it on upstairs! Some band called Hot Chip were on, and I think I thought they were okay, but I was in the ensuite at that point so didn't hear them properly. But then this bint called Ellie Golding was on and totally freaked me out! I know I'm not down with the kids, all of these people are probably really popular somewhere, but she had the weirdest voice I've heard for a long time, I can't describe it, she just sang really oddly. Also, she had the pointiest nose and chin, and looked like the Wicked Witch of the West (but not green)! We started paying close attention when she was singing cos Hefty said her nose seemed to be moving of its own accord. Oh the hilarity. We turned off after that cos I couldn't bear it anymore. On the positive side though, in the unlikely event I recall any of these people in the future, I will at least know to avoid them! WIN!

Right, I'm off. Ciao!

And thus my eyes did bleed...

Today I saw this image and it made me chuckle. I love the juvenility of the 'poke her face' comment. I'm a comedy simpleton, but I'm okay with that.

I just made an anniversary cake, which was an impulse decision to say the least. Never made one before, we didn't even have a wedding cake for Pete's sake, but I had some time to kill and thought, 'CAKE.' It's a dairy free cake, and I've never made it before, but it looks okay now it's outta the oven. The taste test will commence tomorrow, and I'll let you know if it was any cop. I'm currently deciding if I should garishly decorate it or keep it simple. I think garish, may as well push the boat out ey?

Hefty is currently making his way home from Dahn Sarf, as he has tomorrow off! He'll probably get back about 11.30pm, but it'll take less time than it normally does on a Friday afternoon. We're going to York for the day, as he's not really been round it for years, and though I used to work there, I've never done any of the touristy things like the Dungeon and Jorvik Centre, so we thought it'd be an interesting day out. My friend has an awesome coffee shop there too, in an 800 year old building under a bridge! So we thought we'd pop in on her and say howdy.

Today, I saw something HIDEOUS. Anyone who knows me will know that I hate BMWs, because they're generally driven by the chav scum of the earth, and none of these people are familiar with the Highway Code, so consequently are more likely to cause accidents and induce road rage amongst the rest of us. Well, not only do I hate them, I hate the design of them, because if you go back over the decades, some of them are alright looking, even if they're owned by twats, but that redesign thing that happened how ever many years ago, means that they now offend my eyes as well as my very being.
I'm going to start by saying that the Z4, is a ridiculous looking car. I'm trying to think of a creative way to describe it, but really, the only words that come to mind are 'ugly as fuck.' When it comes to the 1 series I think Jeremy Clarkson hit the nail on the head when he said it looked like a bread van with the sides kicked in. Most apt. But, the 6 series invokes something in me when I see it that is so much more powerful than the others. Quite simply, it is a MONSTROSITY. I think you have to see one of these beasts in the flesh to appreciate just how ugly it is, but as if that weren't bad enough, they made a convertible one, which is SO hideously designed, that the back window is the size of a letter box, but with less appeal (at least a letter box has a purpose). So today, not only did I see a 6 series, not only was it a convertible, but......(wait for it)....the scrotey owner had put England flags on it! Yes, those awful chavtastic England flags that are usually confined to the likes of a Mondeo or really old Fiesta, were actually sidled into the back windows of a Bavarian cockroach. NASTY. I was quite taken aback and sort of tripped over my feet a bit. Luckily, Ozzy, my new hero, decided that that very moment, he really needed to relieve himself, and subsequently did so right next to it. If I was less responsible, I would have quite happily left the little steaming pile there, in a sort of 'Yeah, that's what we think of you and your shit car' sort of way. But, inevitably, the chav would have had to head back to his Burberry Headquarters, and someone else might have stepped in it.


The other day, I saw a chav in Sainsbury's wearing denim hotpants, and they only half covered her arse. Why? Why would you wear those to Sainsbury's?

Anyway, I have two episodes of 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' to watch so I'm going to do that. Laters!

iP

Glastonbury and Cheese

I really am baffled by the Glastonbury ticket process. It's one of those things I've always fancied doing (though I'd have to think of a way around the camping, I DO NOT camp), but I don't get why you buy your tickets six months before you even know who's playing. My friend said to me, "It's the experience, and there'll always be someone you want to see." Well, every year I look at the line up to see if I wish I'd bothered, and every year I'm glad I didn't! This year is particularly bad. I know I mainly like Metal, but I'm very open-minded and like lots of different music, but it seems to me that the place is full of crap and distinctly average bands. So what would I be going for? The catering supplies and stalls. Great. WELL worth £200.

So it's three and a half months til my holiday. Not that long says Hefty, FEELS like it. He and I have an entirely different view on these things. He thinks three months is nothing and will fly by, I see it is THREE WHOLE MONTHS (and two weeks) and it drags. He will probably be excited about a month before, whereas it'll be a couple of days before for me as I have no patience. If it's not happening immediately, I can't get excited about it. My Dad is the same. The folks went on a cruise yesterday, neither of them wanted to go (?) but as they'd never done it before they thought they should have a go. A cruise is also a pretty good way of seeing lots of different places that might be faffy to sort out by any other means. So they're seeing Rome, Venice and Florence over a few days, which I suppose is easier. Can't remember where else they're going, but I'm guessing it'll all be around that sort of area. My Mum was washing and sorting out packing two weeks ago, my Dad only started thinking it'd be nice to go on holiday on Monday. At least I know where I get it from. (Tim: Whilst I remember, please can you email me that little cut-out of you to take with me? Want to make sure I get you in on some good photo opps!)

Nice weather again today! Am going to walk Ozzy before the England match malarkey kicks off. I don't support England, I'm Republic of Ireland all the way, but as I like football, and the England team consist of players who used to play for West Ham, I'll give it a go. They've obviously not played great so far, but as I'm not emotionally attached, I can shrug it off. I am, however, pissed off with France! Not only did they deny us a place in the World Cup thanks to Henry's handball (which he ADMITTED and STILL we weren't allowed a replay!!), they don't even want to be there! Moaning bastards. So we'll see if England can pull their fingers out and play a decent game of football.

I was telling Hefty how Frank Lampard has the highest IQ in football (around the 150 mark), and he told me how, in contrast, Steven Gerrard probably had the lowest, as he heard him talking on the radio. Apparently, he was asked what his favourite kind of cheese was, to which he replied, "melted." It's almost a Karl Pilkingtonesque kind of GENIUS. But KP will always be better.


Random fact of the day: Saw a top in Harvey Nichols that was called 'Fatal Top.' Needless to say, didn't try it on.

I'm offski!

Cards, phones, flab.

Got a card! It'll do, still not amazing though. Bah!

Just trying to work out how much an iPhone 4 will cost me. I reckon, on my current contract, I'll have to pay £179.00 for the handset, though the tariff chart is a little confusing so I could be wrong. Also, not entirely sure if data limit is per month or not. If it is, I think I'll be okay, if not, I'm buggered. Why can't they put something straightforward up? Easy to read? That would be TOO easy I suppose.

In other news, somebody told me I should watch a video of Daisy Lowe on YouTube. Apparently, she's a model. For a model, she's kinda fat and flabby. Normal I guess, but I don't want to see 'normal' dancing around in underwear, that's what stick insects are for.

So, today is a lovely sunny day and I feel lousy. I've not had much sleep, despite being WELL tired. I'm tired all the time at the moment, but I either sleep excessively, or not at all. MOST annoying! Meh. Anyway....

Am going to take young Oswald for a walk, then head out to a nearby retail park to try and pick up some supplies, and an anniversary card. As of Friday, me and Hefty will have been married for six years, but every year, I am unable to find a card for him that isn't utter shit. I don't get it. I don't like to generalise, but I would say more often than not, women put more effort into card buying than men. Hefty isn't like this, but I know plenty of men who don't really give two hoots, and just pick the first thing they see. I like to browse and make an informed decision. BUT, cards for husbands are naff. Cards for wives are great, even amazing in some instances. Sometimes, you see a nice card for a wife, but in the same range, the card makers haven't even bothered to make one for husbands. Thus, I have been all over trying to find something. I went to boutiquey card shops, normal ones, NOTHING. I thought about making one (done that before due to this issue), but I'm not very good at card making, so I'd like to buy a nice one really. I even braved the shit-hole city centre (it's a horrible place, it's always full of scrotes AND fashion victims, very rarely anything inbetween this. This is what happens when you put Harvey Nichols near a load of nasty kebab shops) and came back empty handed. Looked online too. FAIL. So I've reached the point where I'll just have to find the best that I can, though I ain't happy about it!!

As it is a nice day, at least I can utilise the roof function on my car, though whenever I put it down, I always seem to come back with half a tree in the back seat. Bucket seats collect debris like nobody's business, I'm sure I didn't have to hoover out my Beetle as much as I do this one. Still, not exactly a hardship is it?!

Got band practice tonight, so I can't be out all afternoon, will have to get in a snooze before I head out. Why do I sleep better during the day? Madness.

An aside: Just seen smallest box of cornflakes EVER on 'Heartbeat.' It's the same size as a box of 'Grape Nuts.' More madness.

So....

....I'm pretty sure I stopped blogging properly when I got entangled in Facebook. Recently, Facebook has done nothing but piss me off, as it doesn't work properly, continuously deletes and loses my posts/photos etc. and I don't feel I can write what I want on there anymore. I have opinions on things and put them on my page, which I believe I'm entitled to do, but with this comes a barrage of snotty remarks from people who don't agree, or people just plain telling you that you're wrong (wrong? Your opinion is wrong?!). So I've sort of given it up, and thought I'd see if my blogging creativity upped as a result. I'll still Tweet (Twitter is something that doesn't require as much commitment) but hey, I've always been able to say what I want on here, so I'm hoping it'll be a cathartic experience!

Am off to get a shower now, as have had little to no sleep and am hoping it will revive me. Then, I might start a new post!

WOOT.