Be Excellent To Each Other

So, It's Monday morning, and I'm up an at home, ready for a new day of looking for gainful employment. I'm going to call Spain in a bit, and later, do some weeding.

How was everyone's weekends and what's Monday News?

I have a large, broken blister on my hand because I spent most of yesterday screwing screws into wood too hard.

I would just like to add:

people that are married:

IF I WANTED TO WATCH A WEDDING ON THE TV AFTER COMING HOME FROM THE PUB I'D CHOOSE A CORRIE OR EASTENDERS ONE OVER YOURS AS THE PRODUCTION VALUES ARE SOMEWHAT HIGHER AND IT IS MORE ENTERTAINING.

Thank you.

Say hi to Spain from me.

Quiet weekend but with added XBLA goodness as I've been playing the games on the disc that comes with an Arcade console. Uno's rather addictive although GoddessJasmine seems to hog all the luck.

Pac-man Championship edition might be sucking up a fair bit of my time though, as will Luxor 2 (although that's a little hard on the eyes)

My weekend was great. I had an extra birthday yesterday. It's my birthday in July, but the family couldn't get together after yesterday because everyone's off doing stuff. So we had a joint celebration for my birthday, my brother's birthday, Fathers' Day and my parents' wedding anniversary.

So I drove up to Essex and we had a lovely family barbecue and sat around in the sun and had a good, lazy, quiet time.

And I got presents! Civilization Revolution! T-shirts! Indiana Jones Mr Potato Head! Two WoW time cards! Phonogram graphic novel! Resident Evil: Extinction! Great stuff.

Got home and played Civ Rev until bed time and had a good time with it.

And today's okay. I'm in the office, but there's nothing urgent going on and it's sunny and quiet, so that;s okay.

Good: I had an excellent weekend's hiking in the Peaks.
Bad: I really need to replace my beloved and trusted boots, despite being the only footwear I own that actually fits. Meh.

Went to the Lake District at the weekend, so I'm knackered today; spent an hour rowing a boat round Windermere, so my arms are a little sore. It was an ace weekend, though, and now I'm working from home for today. Not a bad Monday.

Shitfuck, I've gotten an email reply and now HAVE to call spain. I am now all shy and nervous.

Ask them what the typical rainfall is like on their more flat territories, would you? Ta.

Very calm Monday morning compared to my weekend.

BIG PANIC on Friday, had to leave work as Mrs Z had abdominal pains, midwife told us to get our arses to hospital. After much proding and poking by Doc & Nurses (everyone at hospital was super nice and very reassuring) we were told they were contractions but baby not on her way yet. Mrs Z given a course of steroids to boost baby Z development in case she does decide to turn up early though. Lots of driving about, phone calls and worrying for 48hrs.

Missed out on getting Fathers Day stuff so I bought myself Burnie P for £25.

I believe the answer is 'mainly'.

Had a gloriously quiet weekend. Wife was away for the day yesterday, so bummed around doing sod all. Magic.

Saturday my Dad came round, which was a nice surprise. Then I chopped quite a bit off our hedges. We have an ongoing problem with our neighbours (our blog about it is over 300 entries) and when doing the top of the privet found several toys that the father had thrown up there as punishment for the kids. And then we spotted that the rear kitchen window is smashed - presumably during one of their drunken rows. It has been amateurishly boarded up, and shards of glass are hanging from the frame. Nice, when the kids are playing near it - they are 5 and 6.

The husband (alcoholic, kicks shit out of his wife and kids) has been away from the wife (alcoholic) for a week. It has been comparatively quiet. By comparatively, I mean "we can hear their TV through the wall and six inches of soundproofing" as opposed to "we can hear every word of the tenth playing of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' at 7.30am". But.. he came back yesterday, so we got a drunken row at 1am and the stereo up at deafening levels from 6.45am.

Aside from that, went to my mates on Saturday night - played GTA IV and stuff. And Caroline gave her dad a A3 photo from the wedding of the pair of them, brilliant photo, as a Fathers Day present. Been playing Trackmania United Forever and doing accounts.

I'm off to Cleethorpes tonight.

I remember you talking about that before you went on the honeymoon Plisk. My advice now, as it was then, involves fire.

We had a productive meeting with the Housing Officer of the council last week, and due to an incident* while we were away, there is a residents meeting with the local Councillor this weekend.

*The husband was out pissed, got a taxi back and then scarpered without paying. He then got into an argument with his wife which ended up with him in the middle of the cul-de-sac shouting "Help me! I've been stabbed". At which point, three police cars turned up - called by the taxi driver - so he hid in his back garden. In a way, we were happy because it means other people have seen it all and it isn't going to come across as us having some kind of vendetta.

Good weekend.

Had fun at the cricket on Friday night.

Saturday was a stag do, involving muchos paintballing, a curry, drinks and more. he only downside was that I took a point blank paintball to the back of the head from my own team, and it still hurts!

Sunday involved wandering across Blackheath throwing a frisbee with some mates, watching cricket on telly, having a nice pub meal in the evening and playing some Burnout Paradise and CoD4.

Sadly, today is monday. BOOOO!!!!!

Saturday, I signed for the new house I shall be renting in Chorlton, Manchester. Got the keys and everything. I move there in 1 week, whooo! After this I went for a drink with one of my new housemates, then met up with lotsa other folk and went to see Scorn at the Urbis Centre, danced to Techno, found another party somewhere else, danced to Techno, crashed at a random house, got up, had lunch with friends in town, went back to Leeds, pottered around and watched more of Season 5 of The Wire. Good Weekend!

If I could throw a stone about 3 or 4 miles, I'd hit your house pupil

It's Chorlton. You need to wrap the stone in hummus.

OOOHH! I had an extra birthday, too! My birthday is in December, but at the weekend I got:

a giant munkeh
munkeh slippers
a pea green DS
a bag with 'A gibbon's friend is a banana' on it (with a picture of a gibbon, and a banana)
a rice ball box with the above on it
a compartmented lunch box with the above on it
a little aluminium drinks bottle with cute pictures on
some really colourful playground chalks
some notelets of graphic designs of 'great british meals'

Extra birthdays, yea!!

Two birthdays? Are you, like, the Queen or something?

That's not a very nice welcome

If you can throw a stone 3 or 400 metres, then you should be able to hit me when we are both at work. I'll pm you my uni email addy when I get there, cos I WANT MY "WELCOME TO MANCHESTER" PIMPED SNACK, DAMNIT*

*With extra houmous, please

We went to the local Carnival on Saturday. Excellent - sitting in the sun, drinking a beer or two and watching "Creations" local dance troop flounce about, having a go on the tombola ( we won nothing ) and deciding not to have a go on the Spinning Clanking Grinding Wheel of Death rides.

Unfortunately the falconry display guy lost a falcon, and he spent half the afternoon waving an antenna about trying to pick up the little transmitter on the bird. Not sure if he got him back.

Yes. We are.

That's funny on two levels. Chortle.

That's two more than usual for me. I must be on form.

My weekend was as interesting as usual, although not depressing enough to require reactivating the joist-o-blog thread. In short, however, I have added another to my collection of screwed up teengae girls I have to try to sort out... She ended up having to come back to mine because she was too scared to go home because she thinks her house is haunted. Which makes coming here an odd choice, as it is definitely haunted. There was very definitely no other motivation for coming here, though.

Does this sort of thing happen to anyone else, by the way, or is it just me?

Today was crap, as I had fuck all sleep last night, and not enough the night before. I hate insomnia :-( Also, to get through the day I had to drink coffee by the gallon, so not much chance of a successful early night tonight either.

Bah.

Apart from that, yeah, good weekend with a couple of nights in the pub. And, er, singing Skid Row on the karaoke. I may have been a little tipsy Friday...

Nope. Just you. You weirdo

I thought so...

No, I have a good friend who also attracts needies and screwups. I strongly suspect it is because he is prepared to indulge them (not necessarily in a bad way - they want the attention, and he's prepared to spend the time to give it). I suggest it is also in a way flattering to him, mind.

Hmmm, I suppose I do do that a bit - being "useful" if you like is always nice. Also, as I've mentioned before at length, being around other people with issues, for want of a better word, makes me feel more comfortable with my own. I'm not sure it's a case of simply wanting attention with the people I know though, it often seems the opposite.

Surprised no-one's commented on the ghosts yet

WHAT HAPPENED WITH TEH GHOSTS DERK???

Nothing recently, but they've definitely bothered people here before. Actually, Davydd will know more about them than me - I'm peculiarly insensitive to that sort of stuff. I've only heard one since I've been here.

Have you tried doing any half-naked pottery?

No. Frankly, I'd rather eat my own rectum than have anything in common with Patrick Swayze.

He's into that too.

Was I that drunk? Actually, probably...

Saturday I went over to a mate's house to do some writing exercises, then pub with him. Then went to see Silence At Sea and Flipron at Ten Feet Tall. Silence at Sea were ace as ever, Flipron amused as the lead singer looked like the short-arse baddy from 1970's cheese The Warriors. Then went to Twisted by Design with a couple of friends, had a nice chat with half the regulars and danced stupidly for a long whiles. Sunday spent lazing before going to see Hefner's Darren Hayman and The Wave Pictures at Cwb Ifor Bach. He was splendid. Also saw supporting local band The School, who were quite good, but I'm going to upgrade them to fucking ace as bandmate Steph got me on the guest list.

Today I lazed again, watched some Buffy, played some CoH, wrote a little and now I'm off for more writing exercises at my mate's.

I went to East Sussex and came back again. I shall do this again on Thursday followed by four further visits at a later date.

And my car is still leaking water despite being repairs. [curses mechanic]

ERROR. Not a valid MafiaScum command.

Saturday I spent working, until 11pm.

Sunday - took the kids to the market (didn't get anything for them though), went for lunch with Devilman, fell asleep on his sofa then came home and did a pile of ironing then beat him at Uno.

Monday - mowed and strimmed the lawn, fixed the shed, fixed two windows in the shed, sorted the shed out and cut the hedges.

Today - been reading and catching up on emails, only about 250 to go. :-|

Mondays are officially poo. Mostly because I have to go in to the office and sit there all bastard day.

I did go on a lovely walk through the countryside with my sister in-law last night, which was nice and took my mind off the crappiness of my job 3 days a week.

Today I was on my lovely sunny building site, miles from the office, my boss and email. I like my job a lot 2 days a week. On the downside, I got a blister from my new sandles after a shopping trip on Saturday, which my work boots rubbed today and now my sock is stuck to the oozy, bloody mess that was my blister

Tomorrow will be a bad day at the office. ramsea won't let me quit and be a housewife because he thinks I'll play CoD all day. Tbf, he's not wrong!

This'll teach you to be all girly and go buying new shoes.

If there is a God, he needs to give me a man that will keep me so I can do this.

I had a weekend of highs and lows. On Saturday, I went to Thorpe Park with a bunch of mates from work, then we went bowling and drinking afterwards, which was very nice indeed for the most part. On Sunday, my ex came round to pick up her stuff from my house. We broke up last Monday, so this was somewhat traumatic to say the least.

I'm actually a little worried that the knowledge and stress of this impending visit may have meant I acted a bit weird around a particular work friend on Saturday, and am now wondering if maybe I should have a word with her to make sure we are indeed still friends and that she isn't, as I suspect she may be, trying to avoid me now. Ho hum.

Oh, and apparentely I also live in a haunted house! Tell me about yours, Mr Joists!

Aww Zio, I'm sorry to hear that. With you and CG I wonder if there will be a third?! :-S

Managed to roll one of the best and worse weekends of my life into one.

Monday was rubbish though.

Care to elaborate?