The Boy Who Likes To…

An evening in with the dentist

This summer just gone I chipped my tooth on a berry. Now, two dentists, a few weeks of delays and a couple of appointments later, I finished my time at the dentist.

The boy who likes to keep appointments.

Yesterday I was able to finish work early. This was so I could go to for my dentist appointment. My appointment was for 4.40.
3.54 I left work. I headed to the bus stop. Normally after 430 the bus stops begin to get busy.
4.03 Arrive at bus stop. The queue is already busy. The buses should be every 10 minutes or so. “I shouldnt have to wait too long. I hope. It normally takes about 15 minutes to get to mine. A further 5 minutes to the dentist. It would all be ok…Why are there so many people here now? Why are there old people and women with babies out? Dont they know that the work/home rush is about to begin? They should of been home a long time ago.”
4.09 Bus arrives. Despite being packed I’m able to find a seat. There are too many people on this bus today and I try to sink in to my Own Little World. I think this scares the old lady next to me. “The bus is taking longer then I had hoped. This will be down to the driver allowing so many people on.”
4.29 Squeeze off the bus. And rush home.
4.31 Arrive at home. “There is a parcel at the door, but I don’t have time to check that. It’ll have to wait.” I quickly brush, floss. “Got to look good for the dentist.”
4.38 Grab my belongings and leave. “I’m going to be late. He has sometimes made me wait. If I rush maybe it wont be too late.”
4.43 Arrive at the dentist. “Three minutes late. Not bad. They can’t complain.”
 

Contiune Reading about The Dentist>>

A day in the life of my office.

So after trying for a few days to fit in tidbits about work I know have enough tid bits about work to fill in an entry.

The boy who likes to tidbit.

I have tried in previous entries to drop one or two of this little bits in, but they have built up so much that they deserve their own entry. Without going in to more detail about my actual job, lets just say I sit behind a PC all day, here are just a few things about my office and work day.

As posted earlier, I have a slight gripe with coffee drinkers in McDonalds. This has now been extended to all coffee drinkers who purchase coffee outside of coffe shops. This morning I dropped of the missus at teh train station. As we queued at Upper Crust to pick up some breakfast we were racing against teh clock. Well racing against the train leaving the platfom. We thought we had plenty of time with fifteen minutes on the clock. But every person who was in the queue in front of us order a coffee. In fact, some of them ordered only a coffee. There is a perfectly usable Starbucks around the corner. What is the obsession with coffee drinkers ordering from non-coffee stores? I wouldn’t mind if they ordered a sandwich and coffee, or fruit and a coffee. But not just a coffee. It holds other users of that establishment up when they could happily be taking a tenth of the time being served to get what they want.
Continue Reading A day in my Office>>

I’d put everyone on the “Naughty List.”

With an empty Christmas shopping list, what else are you to do at a Christmas market?

The boy who likes to shop.

It always happens. Everytime you’re in a rush for the train the “Slow People” arrive. I don’t know where they come from or how they appeared in front of us, but they were there. Moments earlier we had seen that there was a train leaving for the Christmas market town in minutes. So we had to rush. But then you get the old couples. Neither of them know which one has the tickets, let alone where they are. After a quick dash over some stairs along a bridge we managed to get to the train. Out of breath. But we had 30 minutes to go to the next stop so we got our breath back. So we had expectations of grand Christmas scenes. Carol singers,…singing. And other  stereotypes for Christmas. With a handy map we made out way to the market and greeted with crowds. Very large crowds of shoppers. There where no singers, although there was music music playing over the roar of the engines coming from the fair. We did see a tree. But no groto.
We tried very hard to make it to the stalls. But this was Mission Impossible due to vast amounts of old people and prams. When we got to one end of the stalls, instead of going back and looking at the stalls at the other end we decided to cut our loses, get some fresh air and walk around town for a bit. At least the shops wouldn’t be full as everyone was in he market. Some of the highlights on our little walk included, finding the last remaining shop selling golliwogs. And I have proof.

The last remaining Golloiwog shop?

So as we tried to hunt down a pub that had the football game on, which we couldnt find, we did come along this rather wonky pub, which amused me.

One straight reference is enough.

So we headed off to see if anything nice could be found. I did realise that I hadn’t bought anything for the housemates. So after endless searching and thinking of every idea from socks to cups. After going in to one small “collectable” store that sold many badges and little sew on covers for holes in pants/coats I did see these lovely gifts that I picked up.

It was hard thinking, but I think I got some good gifts.

At this point we decided we had been out long enough, no where was showing the footy. We we’re both getting a bit hungry and we didn’t like the huge crowds. So much so that the missus uttered “I think this place has the UK’s population of prams, old people and golliwogs.” She could be right. As we got to the train station, on the grass outside, was something that has been freaking me out quite a lot lately. I first noticed these a few weeks back. But that was in a different place, and here they were again. It wasn’t a one off. There is something the matter with the weather. As Thom Yorke says “or that there is something not quite right about the fact you’re still walking round in a Tshirt in october.” I have been seeing a lot of flowers around this year in teh winter months. And its eerie.

Its not right having flowers in Winter.

There was one other thing. As we stood at one of the market stalls looking over some old womans shoulder, the missus spotted landing on the old womans fleece a lady bug. What are they still doing out?

Everything else that isn’t the weekend

I did do some Christmas shopping at the weekend. There are photos, there is even the line “this town is the UK’s population of old people, prams and golliwogs.” But I’ll have more on that tomorrow.

The boy who likes to put things off.

This entry may seem very over the place, as I must of woke up about 112 times last night and so haven’t had the best of sleeps. I did want to talk about heaters and the BBC, but I think I’ll leave them for when the time is right. 

But first a quick little moan. Despite having my wonderful girlfriend stay over at mine for a few days, which I am very happy about, it’s a tad unfair that she gets a day off, can watch my DVD’s while tucked in my large warm bed and emailing me from my laptop. Actually its very unfair. Damn her 😉

I do have a day off tomorrow though. Not that I can think of much to do. There is the art gallery near by. But its a little on the small side. There isn’t anything on in the cinema that has gotten my attention. So what to do on a day off when you haven’t got plans (after you have woken up very late I mean)? Well there is a Quite Interesting book that I might like to look at. Guess I could waste some time in Boarders. So thats it. My day off and I might go and look at a book. It better be a very interesting book.

Which takes me to this point. Once a book comes out, how soon after will it appear in a library? Does anyone know? I’d really like to read the new Bill Bryson book, but hate owning hard backs. Dont know why. But still I’d like to read this. I doubt though I will find this book in the library as the book is relatively new.

Although I should really be looking for something better to do. Except you have to go some distance from where I live to actually find something of interest (and free) to do. The missus is staying at mine for an extended visit as she has booked a few days off work. Coinciding with that is the small celebration of us being together for 6 months. Not that this is a huge thing, but still gives a reason for us to put on our Sunday best and head to a nice bar/restaurant for something to eat. But somehowI dont think taking the missus to a book store is as romantic.

But I would like to leave you with this amusing/tragic story from Florida. (Cash prise to anyone who can read to the bottom without smiling)

“NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. —A woman’s body was found wedged upside-down behind a bookcase in the home she shared with relatives who had spent nearly two weeks looking for her.”
Nice start. Gets your attention. Whats all this about? It continues…
“A spokesman for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said Mariesa Weber’s death was not suspicious.”
Wait, they just said it wasn’t being treated under suspicion? How can that be. The body was left upside down for days in a family home. How can that not be suspicious? Well the answer lies in below…
“Family members said they believe she fell over as she tried to adjust the plug of a television behind the bookshelf.”
So the reason she was upside down was she fell behind the bookcase, head first, while trying to plug in the TV.
But why did it take almost two weeks for someone to find her? Nobody knows. But just imagine walking in to a relatives room and finding this…
“Weber’s sister went into her bedroom and looked behind a bookcase, where she saw the woman’s foot.”
A foot, sticking up, from behind a book case. Yikes!

Some photos and my weekend.

I’ve had this new phone for a while and I haven’t really used the camera on it as much as I would like. But today a few opportunities presented itself for me to take a few photos. So here is what I got.

The boy who likes to take photos.

As I sat at my desk I looked over the roofs of the other offices to see if today I would be blinded by the sun. What I seen took me by surprise. It was a very pretty looking sun rise.
Although the picture doesnt do it justice, the clouds looked more creamy then fluffy and there were alot of colours. And it was the clouds more then the colours that got my attention.
I dont normally get all cooey over the sky and stuff, but this looked rather nice.
Except for the fact that it’s red. As we all know, “red sky in morning. Shephards warning.”

What a very creamy cloud.
Continue reading what caught my eye>>

An online generation and Mcdonalds.

I’ve noticed a growing trend in myself lately. I’ve started to become more of an “online” person. How far will this go?

The boy who likes to play on the internet.

As early as the beginning of this year I hardly used the interweb for anything. I’d send the odd email, blog, maybe visit some forums. That was about the most of it. But lately I’ve found that I am doing more and more online. Whether this is because I’m warming to the idea of doing stuff online, whether its because I have more spare time in work to use interweb facilities or if its because I moved out of my home town, is anyones guess.
In the last few months alone I’ve started up online banking. This has allowed me to pay money in to the accounts of friends and family, set up direct debits/standing orders to pay bills for the home. Earlier this year I gave out cash. Also with online banking I’ve cancelled my paper bank statement and instead view them online. I now contact friends of loved ones mainly through email. Last year I’d vist them. I’ve done ALL my Christmas shopping using interweb stores. Last year? Yep you guessed it, I walked in to actual stores.
And I’m still finding ways of being able to stop doing things in the real World and instead use the interweb. Today I cancelled my paper bill for my mobile phone and started to use online billing to view and pay for my phone bill.
Cant this trend contiune? How else can I prevent myself doing activites, everyday things in the Real World and instead do them in the Virtual World?
I guess the next step can only be download myself on to the interweb and do absolutely everything from the comfort of a PC. Guess that’s all to come though.

I do have one little rant today. This week I’ve started to go McDonalds for my breakfast again. With having a little extra cash in my bank (I knew it was there, I checked the night before online) I’ve had a egg and sausage muffin breakfast 3 days this week. They’ve been very nice and very welcoming.
But my rant is about “Coffee Drinkers in McDonads.” Why do you get them there? The city I live in, like most major cities, it’s pretty hard to walk 30 seconds without spotting some Starbucks or Nero, or whatever they are called.
So why do coffee drinkers chose to go to McDonalds, hold up a queue of hungry people, just so they can order the one thing that takes the most amount of time to make, a coffee? Do they think it’s fun to prevent people, especially myself, from eating of a morning? Why must they chose only to have one cup of coffee and that’s it? They can get coffee from many other places without disturbing the eating habits of the hungry.
I just don’t understand why some people choose the thing off the menu that takes the longest to make when they could go somewhere else with better variety and without holding me up longer then is necessary?

My morning adventure, the postman and finishing off with some tea.

That whole shap shot thing was fun. Here are some more. This is what happened to me this morning.

The boy who likes to recycle.

 I had to pop in to the sorting office today to pick up my Seinfeld series 7 box set. While there the lady in front of me asked the post office person at the counter “Where the nearest post box was?” The guy had a think, but couldn’t say. Not that he wasn’t allowed to say, but he just didn’t know. He asked a few other people. And they had a think about it too.
I felt like leaning over and saying “Excuse me. You work in a letter sorting office. There are thousands of letters and packages here. Couldnt you just, perhaps, take this letter, and sort it. Not to sound off. But. It. Is. Your. Job.”
After discussing with the other guys behind the magic wall, who I can only assume were actually sorting letters and parcels, turned to the lady after a few minutes and politely, as if he was doing her a huuuuuge favour and said, “Pass it here. I’ll take it from you.”
What a very nice man.

So now I have my Seinfeld DVD’s, but with my mum coming for tea and the football on tonight, I think I’ll not get chance to watch any of it. Or I’ll be going to bed later then normal tonight.

When I got in to work and sat at my desk after a few minutes I started to get blinded by the sun. I have spoken about this previously, that the tilting blinds in are office have holes in them? Why? I still dont get it. The whole point of the tilting blind is to block direct sunlight. ANd you can’t block sunlight with frickin’ holes.
And the thing is, I bet some genius go made bag fulls of cash to design these holes.
If anyone knows a reasonable answer to why some tiliting blinds have holes in them, please send me a postcard.

Like many other Brits, one of my favourite things to do in the morning is drink tea. Even the future King likes to do this. Its more of a ritual or past time, then trying to get rid of any thirst, as alot of people I guess would even have a cup of tea even if they weren’t thirsty.
So each morning, when I get in to work as my PC power’s up, I head over to the kitchen area on this floor and make myself a nice cup of tea. But this morning was slightly different. See, most people in this office have their own cups, and I have my own. Each morning I give it a wash and then have make my tea. As I went to pick up my cup today I noiticed that it had already been washed. Someone. For some reason. Had washed my cup. And I don’t know who. The cleaners wouldn’t do it, as they think their job description is to hoover floors, which is why I have my own cleaning wipes for surfaces/keyboards/monitors. But I have no clues as to who, or why, someone would wash my cup. I mean if you were to clean someone’s cup while they were out of the office, would you leave a clue/message? Very. Very. Strange.

Snap shots can be better

Here are a few things that have gotten my interest in the last few days.

I really wanted to read OJ Simpsons book, If I Did It. A book, alot of people view as a confession, as OJ Simpson cannot be put on trial anymore, that has caused a lot of controversy. Mainly being that as OJ Simpson can no longer stand on trial that he is rubbing his nose in the faces of the victims Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldmans family, as well as the authorities.
But in the view of bad taste, I would really of liked to of read this book, althoguh understanding the unethical reasons it canot be publish, I’m still dissappointed that I won’t be able to read it.

Other celebrity news was an interview from some US tv show with Heather Mills, estranged wife of Paul McCartney. I’ve thought that maybe Heather could be losing her sanity slightly lately, what with all the drama surrounding there divorce. But I heard an excerpt from an interview this mornign on radio. In it she says
“I was just madly in love, blinded by love, and totally, totally madly in love.”
Not only was it what she said, but how she said it that kind of made me feel like she had over done the whole “I’m defenceless and innocent in all of this,” persona, and that maybe she had crossed that wide line that devides the sane and the nuts.

I received a text late last night. Very late. So late I read it this morning. It was off an old friend. The problem is I have two friends with the same name. One I ended up becoming less of a friend with as she turned in to a slight stalker. The other was a great friend who I wish I had given more opportunity to spending time with. I haven’t a clue which of these friends sent the text and I can’t reply with
“Are you the good one or the bad one? x”

I have my mum visiting for tea tomorrow. Its her birthday. I’d like to confess now that I don’t know my mums age. I know this is wrong, but it wasn’t too long ago that I got my own age wrong. I think I should start with the basics.
Also I won’t be giving my mum a card. I used to not give out cards as I thought they were pointless. But as this is my first year of not being able to be with my mum on her birthday I bought a card and posted it to her. On the day that teh card was posted, from my girlfriends house I’d like to add as I forgot all about it, my mum calls and says she will be coming to visit. But now I can’t get teh card back. I can only hope it arrives tomorrow morning.

Also I have just found out that Santas Naughty or Nice list is to be made public. By visiting this site, adults can check their children are in the correct list. Kids can find out if they will be receiving presents or coal this Christmas?
As well as being able to see what list you are on, kids can also shop (snitch, tell on) other kids they know thanks to the Tell Santa site.

So remember kids, be good. As Santa will know if your Naughty or Nice!

And join me after the break when there will be more me!

I’ve often been told that I’d make a great kids/TV present. In fact I’ve been told this too many times.

The boy who likes to have a different future.

Many years ago when I picked up my failed A level results – firstly I should of at least tried to pay some attention in class, and secndly my CV doesnt know I failed. The teachers had been talking to us all about “What you doing now?”
Im sure they didn’t mean what were we doing straight after picking up are results, but more what were are plans now we knew are results?

I always knew I didn’t want to go Uni. I knew this even before I finished my GCSE years. I did A-level classes mainly because I didn’t want to start work and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do?
Continue Reading>>

Its not always about the length.

Is it just me, or do other people prefer one side of the bed? I’ve lived in 3 homes and each one I think I’ve slept on the same side of the bed in each one.
Actually I’ve lieved in 4 homes, bought the 1st one I lived in up to 3 years and dont remember much.
And I’d like to point out that in those three homes I’ve had numerous changes of bed. It wasn’t always the same bed.

The boy who likes to sleep.

A topic arose on the way to the pub quiz with the housemates on whether I sleep on the same side of the bed. I answered without any thought “yes.”
After a little more thinking I realised that ever since I can remember I’ve always prefered sleeping on the right side of the bed. No matter where I am, which bed or surprisingly who I’m sleeping in bed with. That latter of these shocked me the most as I thought that the side of the bed I slept on would of been brought up when going to bed. For instance my girlfriend at the time, when we first stayed over at one anothers house there was no disucssion as to which side of the bed each of us slept on. I got on the right and the lass got on the left.

But why do people automatically take up one prefered side of the bed. Continue Reading Its not always about the length….