We all live in a yellow ...

We went to see Submarine last night and it was most excellent. April heard great reviews about it but couldn’t find anywhere local to go and see it. In the end the easiest place for us both to meet was the Curzon cinema in Soho.


But before that we went to a newish Mexican restaurant called Wahaca

http://www.wahaca.co.uk/html/1_restaurant4.html

Most excellent, 90% of the food on the menu was unpronounceable so we bravely opted for a sharing platter for two. As a score I’ll give it 7.5 out of 10, a Mexican Wagamamas would be the best way to describe it.

The Curzon was pretty cool too, lots of arty types in there plus a bar where you could take your drinks into the viewing with you. You don’t get that at the Tunbridge Wells Odeon.

A quote from IMDb

“15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.”

This pretty much sums it up but doesn’t describe how funny it was, I wouldn’t describe it as a laugh out loud film (although I did on numerous occasions) but it was very witty and very well made. Hats of for Richard Ayoade, it really is worth making the effort to find a cinema that’s showing it as I’m sure you’ll all enjoy it.

IMDb Rating: 7.9 / 10 (594 votes)
SC Rating: 82 / 100 (1 vote)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440292/

Putting Weldon on the map

The Shoulder in Mutton in Weldon (my dad's village) has one an award from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). That’s great news and should help it prosper as it’s had a load of different owners over the years since I used to frequent there and for a while was going to get converted into flats.
I used to go there when I was 16 or so with a couple of my rugby mates and their dads. It was a sh!t hole then and probably still is now but at least it serves good beer…

eek, my poor skin

Just been looking at the weekly forecast in Morocco (we're going in a little over 3 weeks and it's 40 degrees Celsius on Friday.  I hope it cools down a tad soon.  Average temperature is a more managable 25 at this time of the year.

Cheeky gits

I received an e-mail this morning from McAfee the anti virus company. They said that they had automatically renewed my subscription at £62.16! Cheeky gits! Looking into it the default option is to automatically renew. Cheeky gits!


I surprisingly managed to get in touch with easily using an online chat facility and managed to get a refund and also greater than 50% discount. I've now paid £22 for the year. Although I was initially annoyed the discount is pretty impressive and meant I don't have to source a new programme and avoid conflicts like the ones I had with my stereo getting blocked by me having more than one anti virus software on my old laptop (Kris fixed it for me)

They're still cheeky though. I can imagine 90% of people would have paid the full price and left it like that. Bloody cheeky gits!

Maybe I should update my cv

My latest save game in football manager.

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I'm still a Jedi

We filled in the census (online) yesterday and once again I stated my religion as Jedi.  If you asking me to take 10 minutes out of my 'busy' day then you'll have to expect me to take some time out of yours.

Are women really that different?

I was chatting to the girl that sits next to me at work this morning about what i'd been up to at the weekend and mentioned that I had a shot in my friend's Porsche.  I told her that it was really good fun but way too fast for me.  Her first question was

"What colour was it?"

Jeez!

Best steak ever...

No really, it was the best steak I've ever had.  . It had better have been though, cost me £52!!!  Probably didn't need the massive squid as a starter though.  Best chips too!   Thank you Hawksmoor.

Argh! Why won't you work???

I've just finished a major load of work for head office and all I have left to do is upload it to their group website.  The bloody files won't transfer across.  Stupid system.  I’d e-mail them across instead but the files are massive.

Master chef does it again

Saturday Kitchen chicken chorizo Kievs

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What's the collective noun for broker?

Answer: Twattle

I'm in a pub waiting for a friend to turn up and have just spotted 3 brokers all sporting matching Barbour jackets and 'haircuts'. Twats!

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Grrr... stupid taxman!

For some reason I was moved to a monthly tax code a couple of months ago, my bonus comes into my account this month and it looks (if paid monthly) like I earn hundreds of thousands of pounds a year!  I wish!  Now I have to bloody call the inland revenue to sort it out as i've just paid 50% tax.  Bloody idiots!

At least they offered him insurance

... I mean look at him!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12824940

Do I take work seriously?

Question:  Do I take work seriously?
Answer:  No

I've just been handed a report to read by my boss.  It's from RMS (the leading Cat Modelling Software) entitled North Atlantic Hurricane v11.0, Beaver Creek Day 1 general Session.

The first thing I did was laugh because it said 'Beaver'.

Anything that makes the day go quicker eh?

I'm seeing things

It's been a while since this has happened to me but I've started seeing things. I've been playing Bubble Blast on my phone recently and find myself thinking about the game in real life.

What would happen if I bounce a blue ball off that guy's head?

I should probably stop playing. Just one more game I promise...

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I can now afford to get married

Just got this year’s salary review and bonus letter from my boss and am pretty pleased. The bonus is as good as last year and my pay rise is isn’t bad considering the state of the economy. I was half expecting to get promoted however as given the grades in my appraisal I’d notched enough points to go into the next grade. I may have to have words…

I have to say that I AM pleased though so mustn’t grumple too much.  Bring on Friday when I get paid!

More Biscuit shenanigans

She can't possibly be comfortable.

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Stuey whizz

So quick, I'm a blur. Me doing a scissors move against Sevenoaks last week. We beat Eastbourne 50 yesterday in a friendly too. Even I scored.

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Rolly polly cat

It's quite hard to photograph Biscuit when she's rolling around the floor on freshly hoovered carpet.

Today's lunch

I had lunch with my brother today, it was his turn to pay so he chose here

http://www.bodeansbbq.com/contactus/

I've been before ages ago but it was good to go back.  I had ribs and half a chicken.  Plus a bottle of my favourite beer.  Yum yum.
 
And to top that off when I got back to the office their was free chocolate cake going spare.

Bonus wait

Still no news on my bonus for this year but sitting right in front of HR does have it's perks, I overheard them saying that the bonus and salary review letters should be released to our managers on Monday.  We get it paid to us on a week today, which is pretty slack if you ask me.  The bonuses must have been signed off back on the 12 when we had to decide if we wanted them this month or next.

Japan raises nuclear alert level

"Japan has raised the accident level at a stricken nuclear plant from four to five on a seven-point international danger scale for atomic accidents."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12783832

Why bother teling us that a number has gone from 4 to 5 without explaining what each number actually means, for all I know it could mean

1 - No danger
2 - Wear a face mask
3 - Stay indoors
4 - Evacuate to a safe distance
5 - Grow an extra arm
6 - Godzilla wakes from his slumber
7 - Real X-men are created

It's like a headline in the Daily Mail:  Bird flu, How worried should I be?  7?

Good idea???

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12768645

What usually happens when you poor cold water on superheated substances?

New bar

I found a new bar last night in Borough Market.

The Rake
http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub3284.php

I also tried two great new beers.

Firstly http://www.brewdog.com/punk_ipa  (I think it was this one), lovely and minty.

And secondly http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/celebrationale.html   my favourite beer's older more experienced brother.  6.8% and £6.80 a pint!  Lovely.

Blood letting

Just gave blood and the city branch seems to have been upgraded.  We had Alpen and Kellogg's Special K bars.  Ooh, laar-de-daar.

23 inches. Mmm!

The first of our two 23 inch widescreen monitors have arrived. It'll also help me keep fit, I've almost doubled the distance I have to move the mouse from one end if the screen to the other.

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Poor stuffed bear

Not sure what happened to the bear's eyes, although I guess he'd have been more concerned about his head getting cut off. Also, the world's worse pool table. Incidentally I won.

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Bruise as promised

Bruised arm

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Mmm lamb lollipops!

Made this French trimmed lamb and couscous for April earlier. Yummy

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Just saved £30

A big thank you goes out to the nice cashier at Lloyds bank today and that's the second time she's helped me. We needed to transfer £500 to a solicitor today as we're re-mortgaging our house and have to pay around part of the mortgage as half of the month has already expired. I was told that we needed to set up a CHAPS payment so that the money was guaranteed to be in their account tomorrow morning.

Speaking to the cashier she said that it's cost £30, then suggested that I just withdraw the cash, walk over the road to the local RBS and pay it in over there instead. Doh! Why didn't I think of that? Great though, that's saved us £30. She helped me when I was moving into the Clapham flat before. I went to one Lloyd's branch to transfer some money but they wouldn't let me as I didn't have photo id. I went my usual Lloyd's and she said it wouldn't be a problem. Nice lady.

In other news, whilst I was there I saw the CFO of my old company in there too, I reckon he was there to check that his £500,000 bonus had been paid into his account.
Anyone for a money fight???

Brand schmand

I just offered my Japanese colleague a sweet and he asked what it was. I said they were Opal Fruits. Oops. Sorry Starbursts. How long since they switched brands?

1998.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starburst_(confectionery)

Shows how strong the original brand was in my mind.

Certainly 'made to make your mouth water'.

In your face so called 'system'

An extra 10p out of the vending machine. Who's the Daddy now?

Tough game but a good win

We beat Sevenoaks yesterday, 17-8, a good hard game and I've got the bruises and for a to prove it. Although I'm sure a great deal of those were caused by the grass less ground. Ouch. Pictures to follow.

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London Bridge view

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Lazy cat

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So much for being nice

I offered to pick April up from the station last night and it ended taking me 1.5 hours. My poor car's battery died, which meant we had to get the AA out, the idiot on the phone originally sent the mechanic to Tunbridge Wells not Tonbridge. Doh! New battery this morning.

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Quite pleased

I've been to the gym 7 times in the last 3 weeks.  That's 33%.  If you include last week's game and tomorrow's game of rugby that makes 41%.  I've got to keep it up though as there's a long way to go.

The best part about it is that I go during lunch.  If I grab a lunch afterward and eat it at my desk I get over 1h 30 mins break.  Ha, ha.

Eek! Godzilla

Shouldn't cost my company too much but my parent company is going to get stonked.  And yes, that is official insurance terminology.

No reports of nuclear leaks yet.  Godzilla style.  That would liven up insurance.

Edit:  Scratch that.  Acording to the BBC one Nuclear plant's had to shut down. 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598Let's hope it's safe, Mega Shark v's Giant Octopus was a crap film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1350498/    2.8/10

Anyone for some beach vollyball???

http://media.ticketmaster.com/en-gb/img/sys/tournament/london2012/oly-complete.pdf

 

What an absolute rip off.  £750 for the mens 100m final, as no chance of getting the cheaper tickets.

Anything else sir?

Yes please.  I'd also like a side of lobster...

It's bonus day in a couple of weeks so i'm taking April here

 http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk/index.php 

Not sure about the grilled bone marrow though...

Doh! Why not two weeks ago?

I've been playing a fair bit of football manager recently and have managed to get Corby Town promoted into League two, then moving to Oxford and getting them into the Championship. Quite pleased, quite enjoying the game. Now the gits at Sports Interactive have gone and updated their database with the latest transfers after the January transfer window.
Obviously the saved game won't take this into account so I have a bit of a dilemma. Do I start afresh and give in to my mild obsessive compulsive tendencies or do I push on through and rule the footballing world on my laptop? Play on, I must resist!
On another note. Bloody hell Barcelona were awesome last night. Arsenal hardly got out of their half!

Zombie arm 2

I tackled a guy with my forearm on Saturday and hit a boney part. I hope it hurt him more than it hurt me.

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Widescreen weather

We're getting new 24 inch monitors at work.  Yeah!  Imagine what my weather spreadsheet will look like in glorious widescreen.  Two weeks after that we'll be getting another one each.  Yeah, yeah!  About time!

Room for three?

I certainly think so.

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Stung

I went for a few beers with a friend last night.  I handed him £20 to get the drinks in as I need to take a refreshment break.  When I came back he'd spent the £20 on two glasses of champagne.  We must have looked right idiots.  Doh!

The city of Gold

My home town is vieing to become a city.

The bid will be branded ‘Corblimey – who’d have believed it? Jeez!

http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/local/corby_bids_to_become_jubilee_city_1_2470033

It's worth a read just for the comments.

Public outcry. Really???

http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/local/council_makes_aerials_u_turn_1_2458251

Here's one for Kris

BBC News - UFO files reveal 'Rendlesham incident' papers missing

It must be a conspiracy...

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Another £50

I bought a new pair of work shoes about a month ago and they made me hobble about a bit for two weeks.  Last week I noticed that one of them already had a hole through the leather sole.  Bloody hell!  I'd obviously been favouring my other foot to take some of the weight of the other painful one.

I went to one of the Timpson's in the city and they charged me £50 for a resole!!!  He even had the cheek to offer me soles for £60 as they were more hard wearing!  How about giving one that doesn't wear out in a month!!!  The shoes were £70 in the first place.

First time for everything

... and never again.  I was tricked into seeing a dental hygienist by my dentist today and I have to say that it was one of the worst experiences my young life has ever had.

Although not the straightest or best teeth in the world they're reasonably clean and work.  I've still only got the 1 filling (since I was 15) but she managed to scape my teeth / gums within an inch of their lives.  Owie.  Not sure if i'll be booking a return visit then paying £50 for the privilege.