Today I broke my third water cooler.
My first was in a storage warehouse when I was working for Aquascutum.
2nd at Lloyd's
3rd today in our IT departemnt.
Is it me?
My people call me the dude. I share my teachings in the passages below... (along with many typos, grammatical errors and lazy writing)
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Monday, 21 January 2008
Car Shopping
I’m buying a house with April this year and in order to get around whilst hunting a car would really be useful. So we have decided to get ourselves a car.
I’ve been driving for 10 plus years but this will be my first car. I’ve simply never needed one. When I was home I could always borrow my parents cars, when I was at uni I couldn’t afford one and whilst I’ve been in London it would have been a waste of money.
We’ve decided on an MX-5. The simple reason being that we want something a fun before we have to settle down and buy a boring people carrier (no offence Kris).
We’ve been using the autotrader website and have found it very useful. And off the back of this we went car shopping on Sunday. One was at a Mazda dealership, the other was privately owned.
April test drove them both and feels more closely attached to the trade car. It would also come with a full years MOT and warranty. Both are will to take offers but we think given the extras thrown in we’re confident we can get the bargain we want.
The loan money has come through so are ready to make an offer. The dealer said he would give us a call so we’re happy to do that rather than seem overly keen and get less of a deal. One look outside tells me that they won’t have many people looking for a convertible in this weather so fingers crossed we can knock a few grand off the asking price.
The car needs taxing which will be annoying but I think we can get this done once we know the car registration. Same with insurance but all this can be done without too much pain.
The toughest part is parking. We have to go in person to sort it all out. We need to take all of the insurance details in with is too so there will be another delay whilst waiting for the certificate to come in though the post.
If everything goes to plan we’ll have the car on Saturday.
I am keeping my fingers crossed.
I’ve been driving for 10 plus years but this will be my first car. I’ve simply never needed one. When I was home I could always borrow my parents cars, when I was at uni I couldn’t afford one and whilst I’ve been in London it would have been a waste of money.
We’ve decided on an MX-5. The simple reason being that we want something a fun before we have to settle down and buy a boring people carrier (no offence Kris).
We’ve been using the autotrader website and have found it very useful. And off the back of this we went car shopping on Sunday. One was at a Mazda dealership, the other was privately owned.
April test drove them both and feels more closely attached to the trade car. It would also come with a full years MOT and warranty. Both are will to take offers but we think given the extras thrown in we’re confident we can get the bargain we want.
The loan money has come through so are ready to make an offer. The dealer said he would give us a call so we’re happy to do that rather than seem overly keen and get less of a deal. One look outside tells me that they won’t have many people looking for a convertible in this weather so fingers crossed we can knock a few grand off the asking price.
The car needs taxing which will be annoying but I think we can get this done once we know the car registration. Same with insurance but all this can be done without too much pain.
The toughest part is parking. We have to go in person to sort it all out. We need to take all of the insurance details in with is too so there will be another delay whilst waiting for the certificate to come in though the post.
If everything goes to plan we’ll have the car on Saturday.
I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Klutz
I arrived at the hospital early this Tuesday so I decided to do a little shopping. I saw a really nice tall glass vase that I thought April would like so I went in and bought it.
Walking out of the shopping centre I bumped into a post.
Smash
Bugger! It wasn’t tremendously expensive so embarrassingly I went back into the shop to buy another.
After my doctor’s appointment I went to Raynes Park for a few beers in a local pub with Steve. At about 9 it was time to go so I picked up my stuff and walked to the train station.
Smash
I had bumped into another post!
Argh! I guess it was not to be.
Walking out of the shopping centre I bumped into a post.
Smash
Bugger! It wasn’t tremendously expensive so embarrassingly I went back into the shop to buy another.
After my doctor’s appointment I went to Raynes Park for a few beers in a local pub with Steve. At about 9 it was time to go so I picked up my stuff and walked to the train station.
Smash
I had bumped into another post!
Argh! I guess it was not to be.
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Change pot
We counted my change pot last night and bagged a total of £82.
Ka-ching!
Now i've got to cart it in to get changed. April...
Ka-ching!
Now i've got to cart it in to get changed. April...
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
I can feel it in me bones.
I went to see a hand specialist yesterday afternoon so see if there was anything he could do to stop my finger from hurting.
I originally hurt it about 10 / 11 months ago and didn’t do much about it. Eventually April made me go to see a doctor. I went to a sports injury clinic and they x-rayed it but said that it wasn’t broken. They said I should go to my doctor so that they could recommend a physio. After a couple of months of that it was only marginally better she then suggested that I go and see a specialist.
He told me that the injury could take up to nine months to heal so I carried on exercising it but when that time elapsed it was still painful and the movement was actually worse.
He took a second x-ray and it turns out that the damaged soft tissue has tried to repair itself but instead of healing correctly some of the soft tissue has turned into bone.
I was given a couple of options
a) leave it but it’ll never get any better.
b) Have an operation to remove the excess bone.
Seeing as I had gotten that far I may as well go the whole hog.
He said that the operation could be done with just local aesthetic so I could actually watch it if I want. I probably will. After this it should go back to normal. However if this is not the case then my only option left would be for a knuckle replacement!
If I had to get that done then I would have to stop playing rugby though.
He suggested that I have the operation, if it works, then great. If it doesn’t then hold back on the replacement till I ‘retire’ from rugby.
Sounds good to me. I’ll wait until the end of the season before booking myself in but that’s my plan.
The wonders of private health.
I originally hurt it about 10 / 11 months ago and didn’t do much about it. Eventually April made me go to see a doctor. I went to a sports injury clinic and they x-rayed it but said that it wasn’t broken. They said I should go to my doctor so that they could recommend a physio. After a couple of months of that it was only marginally better she then suggested that I go and see a specialist.
He told me that the injury could take up to nine months to heal so I carried on exercising it but when that time elapsed it was still painful and the movement was actually worse.
He took a second x-ray and it turns out that the damaged soft tissue has tried to repair itself but instead of healing correctly some of the soft tissue has turned into bone.
I was given a couple of options
a) leave it but it’ll never get any better.
b) Have an operation to remove the excess bone.
Seeing as I had gotten that far I may as well go the whole hog.
He said that the operation could be done with just local aesthetic so I could actually watch it if I want. I probably will. After this it should go back to normal. However if this is not the case then my only option left would be for a knuckle replacement!
If I had to get that done then I would have to stop playing rugby though.
He suggested that I have the operation, if it works, then great. If it doesn’t then hold back on the replacement till I ‘retire’ from rugby.
Sounds good to me. I’ll wait until the end of the season before booking myself in but that’s my plan.
The wonders of private health.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Monaco
April’s company has an office out in Monaco, some of their staff needed training so they sent April out to do it. I tagged along to carry the bags…
http://moblog.co.uk/view.php?id=298000
Weather
The weather in Monaco was generally good. When in the sun it was actually quite hot. Hot enough for a ginger. I think we stood out as coming from Britain, everybody else seemed to be wearing thick coats, gloves and scarves. All we had on were t-shirts.
Dogs and fur coats
Every other woman in Monaco had a stupid little dog on a lead, the others wore expensive fur coats. At first I thought this was extremely cruel and as if they had totally missed out on the practice of wearing fur as a fashion statement. In reflection I hope that they are just really good at recycling and whenever one of their tiny dogs die they add a little bit more to their coat.
Smoking
This was another strange thing to me. Every woman. And I mean EVERY woman smoked. The first we saw of this was in a random Italian restaurant that allowed people to smoke inside. It turns out that all restaurants and bars allow this. It’s been a little over 6 months since the UK ban and it already seems alien to me.
Beer
I knew Monaco was going to be expensive but nothing prepared me for the cost of beer. The most expensive we found was in our hotel bar.
11 Euros per 'pint' (500 mls) in our hotel bar whilst waiting for April. That equates to 9 pounds and 21 pence per full pint. Jeez!
Monaco
All that being said, the place is still very nice, but in my mind simply has too much money. The gulf between what I’ve seen here in London is vast. And my ambitions of being ‘rich’ have been set back a couple of decades.
This made me chuckle too
http://moblog.co.uk/view.php?id=298008
http://moblog.co.uk/view.php?id=298000
Weather
The weather in Monaco was generally good. When in the sun it was actually quite hot. Hot enough for a ginger. I think we stood out as coming from Britain, everybody else seemed to be wearing thick coats, gloves and scarves. All we had on were t-shirts.
Dogs and fur coats
Every other woman in Monaco had a stupid little dog on a lead, the others wore expensive fur coats. At first I thought this was extremely cruel and as if they had totally missed out on the practice of wearing fur as a fashion statement. In reflection I hope that they are just really good at recycling and whenever one of their tiny dogs die they add a little bit more to their coat.
Smoking
This was another strange thing to me. Every woman. And I mean EVERY woman smoked. The first we saw of this was in a random Italian restaurant that allowed people to smoke inside. It turns out that all restaurants and bars allow this. It’s been a little over 6 months since the UK ban and it already seems alien to me.
Beer
I knew Monaco was going to be expensive but nothing prepared me for the cost of beer. The most expensive we found was in our hotel bar.
11 Euros per 'pint' (500 mls) in our hotel bar whilst waiting for April. That equates to 9 pounds and 21 pence per full pint. Jeez!
Monaco
All that being said, the place is still very nice, but in my mind simply has too much money. The gulf between what I’ve seen here in London is vast. And my ambitions of being ‘rich’ have been set back a couple of decades.
This made me chuckle too
http://moblog.co.uk/view.php?id=298008
Friday, 4 January 2008
Facebook cull
Having beaten Steve to 200 friends on Facebook (£10 bet) I have decided to remove the 20 most annoying friends I have on there. Hopefully I will stop getting super poked, turned into zombie / pirates and messaged by idiots.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Cold front...
Forget the fact that it could snow today the BBC should extend their weather forecasts to my gym's pool.
I was turned away yesterday lunchtime as an engineer was fixing the heating. I called up today to see if everything was fine and they said yes.
20 minutes later I jumped into the pool.
ARGH!!!
It was bloody freezing. As there were two others already in the pool (thanks for warning me) I had to pretend as if nothing had happened and carried on swimming.
I was turned away yesterday lunchtime as an engineer was fixing the heating. I called up today to see if everything was fine and they said yes.
20 minutes later I jumped into the pool.
ARGH!!!
It was bloody freezing. As there were two others already in the pool (thanks for warning me) I had to pretend as if nothing had happened and carried on swimming.
Facebook is now blocked
I guess it was only a matter of time before the powers that be blocked the site. I'm actually not that bothered. The initial excitement has waned.
Friday, 28 December 2007
Hip hip horray!
It's my last working day of 2007 so I thought I’d write a short (ish) review.
I've been working at AJG for just under a year and I have to say that it's gone really fast. Does that mean i've had a great time? Probably not, it hasn’t been bad by any means but I think it can be improved. 2008 is a new year and I look forward to seeing what’s in store.
Highlights of 2007
New York
I went to New York for April’s 25th birthday. Other than during the first day or so being the coldest I’ve ever been in my life the whole place was just perfect. The people, the atmosphere and the sites were all far better than I expected. If I ever decide to leave London, I think I could move to New York.
Canal Boating
During this long weekend I think I managed to get wetter than I have ever been in my life, but this didn’t matter as everybody mucked in and we got by pretty much unscathed. Another day or too would have been nice as we had to rush to get back on the final day but that may have been the down fall as it did seem claustrophobic at times. It was good to come back without any accidental drownings.
Spain
In Spain I realised that golf was not for me. I think this is an important lesson to be learnt in any man’s life as it’s a very expensive and time consuming past time. I managed 9 out of 18 holes and totted up a score of 80+ and that’s playing by Stuart rules… if nobody’s looking it didn’t count
Helsinki
Metallica delayed announcing their UK tour days a week before the rest of Europe. I suggested to Shaheen that we should just book it see what happens. That was all that was needed. We looked at the various countries and neither of us had been to Finland. Helsinki here we come. The place was excellent. It exuded ROCK! The only downside I can think of is that April didn’t come along with us.
Limerick
It was my Dad’s 60th birthday this year so Steve and I took my Dad to Ireland as a special treat. We saw some cliffs and caves, an old jail and a flying boat museum. Between us we drank about a barrel of Guinness and watched loads of rugby. As an added bonus we also saw Cheryl Baker.
Things to look forward to in 2008
Monaco
April’s running a training course in Monaco on the 7th so we’re going to make the most of it and have a weekend looking round. Apparently our hotel room has a superior sea view (???). At one point it was suggested that we get a helicopter ride from Nice airport to Monaco but seeing as April’s company will be paying I think that would be taking the p!ss a little too much.
Australia
Although the date keeps getting chopped and changed (currently end of March) we’re off to Australia next year. I looking forward to seeing the place as I’ve always wanted to go. Also, it’s only fair, I’ve shown April round Corby, She must show me round Australia.
Buying a house
By the time my lease runs out at the end of July I will have been living and working in London for nearly 6 years. In rent alone I will have paid £49975! My last place is £14,000 per year! We have to buy a house. The house market is not as strong as it was a year ago but in 6 months time I think we will certainly know where it’s heading. It’ll be a big decision but I think we’re ready.
Win the lottery
My main goal in 2008 is to win the National Lottery. I don’t think it’s much to ask to never having to work again and I will strive to achieve this.
I've been working at AJG for just under a year and I have to say that it's gone really fast. Does that mean i've had a great time? Probably not, it hasn’t been bad by any means but I think it can be improved. 2008 is a new year and I look forward to seeing what’s in store.
Highlights of 2007
New York
I went to New York for April’s 25th birthday. Other than during the first day or so being the coldest I’ve ever been in my life the whole place was just perfect. The people, the atmosphere and the sites were all far better than I expected. If I ever decide to leave London, I think I could move to New York.
Canal Boating
During this long weekend I think I managed to get wetter than I have ever been in my life, but this didn’t matter as everybody mucked in and we got by pretty much unscathed. Another day or too would have been nice as we had to rush to get back on the final day but that may have been the down fall as it did seem claustrophobic at times. It was good to come back without any accidental drownings.
Spain
In Spain I realised that golf was not for me. I think this is an important lesson to be learnt in any man’s life as it’s a very expensive and time consuming past time. I managed 9 out of 18 holes and totted up a score of 80+ and that’s playing by Stuart rules… if nobody’s looking it didn’t count
Helsinki
Metallica delayed announcing their UK tour days a week before the rest of Europe. I suggested to Shaheen that we should just book it see what happens. That was all that was needed. We looked at the various countries and neither of us had been to Finland. Helsinki here we come. The place was excellent. It exuded ROCK! The only downside I can think of is that April didn’t come along with us.
Limerick
It was my Dad’s 60th birthday this year so Steve and I took my Dad to Ireland as a special treat. We saw some cliffs and caves, an old jail and a flying boat museum. Between us we drank about a barrel of Guinness and watched loads of rugby. As an added bonus we also saw Cheryl Baker.
Things to look forward to in 2008
Monaco
April’s running a training course in Monaco on the 7th so we’re going to make the most of it and have a weekend looking round. Apparently our hotel room has a superior sea view (???). At one point it was suggested that we get a helicopter ride from Nice airport to Monaco but seeing as April’s company will be paying I think that would be taking the p!ss a little too much.
Australia
Although the date keeps getting chopped and changed (currently end of March) we’re off to Australia next year. I looking forward to seeing the place as I’ve always wanted to go. Also, it’s only fair, I’ve shown April round Corby, She must show me round Australia.
Buying a house
By the time my lease runs out at the end of July I will have been living and working in London for nearly 6 years. In rent alone I will have paid £49975! My last place is £14,000 per year! We have to buy a house. The house market is not as strong as it was a year ago but in 6 months time I think we will certainly know where it’s heading. It’ll be a big decision but I think we’re ready.
Win the lottery
My main goal in 2008 is to win the National Lottery. I don’t think it’s much to ask to never having to work again and I will strive to achieve this.
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