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2006/5/30 IT FINALLY CAME and naturally I was here to take photos..
Pictures from Leaving Day and Leavers' Ball are up!!
================== 2006/5/5 ADRIFT AT SEA..
"Now I know how the Queen felt when she lost her ship."
It is, though to the individual's own degree, felt by all.
For the majority - an opportunity no longer open. Perhaps we would say it is those who suffer most as we recognise the dramatic irony in their situation, yet consequently such ignorance saves them from the sorrow delivered.
Of us for whom the matter has a more immediate effect, there are two varieties. The 'occasionals' will scratch it from the list - a space to be filled by another I suppose - but there are still the memories, afternoons sipped away and the odd weekend lunch devoured. And they do recognise what was so important to the latter in this tricolon of mourners.
They, the 'elite', have been left with a devastating hole. An emptiness yearning to be soothed by the products of faraway sun and nearby percolation, and be greeted by recognised faces from the same faction or those who provided for whatever solace was sought.
The troubled soul, remarking with such higher tones that it could only be him, is but my great companion. An ex-elitist of course.
Through him I found myself somewhat in-between the two knowing groups: I have not, as he, lost a second home, but I shared the joy of travelling up to town with the safety blanket of an available retreat. More so however, a realisation inducing much emotion as I surveyed my friend's distant eyes, I can no longer know where to look for the company I enjoy so avidly, in the environment that enabled us to freely waste one hour to the next without regret - should I be "passing through".
And so I invite you to raise your mug, cup or glass-and-ice (those still waiting for a glass of tap water may join in spirit) to the memory of Fob.
"Fobbing...no more.."
================== 2006/4/27 I'M QUITE AWARE that I have become part of the statistic I have quoted so often,
"50% of blogs are dormant after 6 months"
Yeah well so what. TII is back.
================ 2005/6/25 THE END of the month approachith...and the weather continues to be indecisive. Despite that, I may have hayfever. Entirely - without exception - Chan's fault, thank you darling for throwing grass at me.
Extremely trying, for preceding this I have had nothing. Nothing. No allergies, no great reactions or telling rashes. The two mere events that blight an otherwise tip-top record involve cracking my head open - not my fault again, I was pushed - and a strange knee infection which doesn't bear thinking about. No bones broken. No stabbings. Not even a minor cardiac event.
Travelling tomorrow. No major road or rail accidents so far... ===============
2005/6/21 JUNE 20, 1969. After a four day journey, and six hours sitting in the Eagle capsule following a somewhat dodgy landing...Neil Armstrong - Commander of the Apollo 11 mission - stepped out onto the lunar surface, the first ever human to do so.
Less than 15 minutes after the now famous line was uttered, Buzz Aldrin - Lunar Module pilot - also stepped cautiously down the ladder and onto the dusty ground of the moon.
"Now I want to partially close the hatch, making sure not to lock it on my way out."
"A good thought." replied Neil
As the two explorers carried out their work, Command Module pilot Michael Collins orbited above them in Columbia, awaiting the return of his companions a day later.
Four days later, the trio would splash down to earth, returning to the people that had witnessed their truly wondrous feat across the world.
36 years later, almost to the day, a group of budding physicists including myself journeyed to Leicester's National Space Museum in the hope of meeting Dr Aldrin himself, who was to be performing a book signing.
Having arrived early - and rather warm - we quickly made our way to the shop in order to purchase a book for the said occasion, and noticed that there appeared to be very few copies available. It emerged that only 100 books had been imported, and there were a lot more than 100 people once he himself arrived - some of us were asked actually if we had spare copies by a man who claimed to have met 39 astronauts...which we didn't. If you're late, you miss the bus. And we were later told that he charges $250 for an autograph - eBay in twenty years, we'll be millionaires.
Having waited at the front of the queue for an hour, Buzz finally arrived, but we were disappointed to be told that he was not allowed to sign anything but the book nor write anything but his name - so no girlfriend dedications.
I shuffled up to the desk with a "good afternoon sir!"
"hi, how are ya?"
"fine thankyou, and yourself?"
- not sure what was said by Buzz here, I was a bit dazed..but something about getting old. Hats off to the guy, at 75 he's doing fantastic. Or 'cute' as Lucy exclaimed...
See photos in ..this month.. album, note Buzz's expression with Pete, and his interesting wife... ===============
2005/6/16 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chan!! Sweet 16...can't last surely... 2005/6/9 CHAV is now part of the language:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4074760.stm
...along with a few other choice expressions, which makes the team at Ted Is Irrelevant wonder if the crew at Collins have been surfing us and our 'original words'..
Anyhow, keep experimenting with the lingo everyone. ===============
2005/6/8 HELL, in the form of pre-event refreshments... This, by the way, is a blog made in conjunction with my co-efficient Leo at http://spaces.msn.com/members/funkydrama/ So, my good friend had invited me to accompany him to an event for SquareCircle members (friends of Sheffield Theatres).
We became rather nervous from the outset, the few people we had spotted being waaaay over our age, but at the time thought 'at least there are other people here' (somehow Leo had anticipated we would be the only attendees).
However approaching the Long Bar, and the refreshments contained therein, it became insatiably clear that we were outnumbered in terms of years of experience...by a long way...
And sitting down with strong coffees and delectable chocolate biscuits, we began to ponder just why the hell we had come to this evil place in order to experience a certain closeness-to-death...and then there was also the fact that it was now sunny outside and we were somewhat trapped for the next few hours. Infact, we had arrived early, causing the '45'minutes of refreshments to be extended in to a n e t e r n i t y........
The 55+ club continued to roll in, hence we decided that the only way to save our sanity was by reversing the situation from death-defying to hilariously-humourous.
Thank god, it worked.
And at the same time we had an interesting breath of fresh air, as a few people walked in who could be assumed to be under the 50mark. Including red tshirt guy, who we both recognised but could not pin down. He, bless him, did his best not to look uncomfortable propping the bar up (doing a crossword) with no seats available. However he seemed to realise how 'in-view' he was and promptly moved himself to one end of the room. There was also 70s-80s camp guy, who proved that there is a big difference between wearing retro clothes, and wearing the clothes you bought new from then and still own... Our third distraction was an obvious thespian type: black long sleeved top, off-white trousers, the customary male long strap 'handbag' and...yes...sandals.
But the one thing that made us laugh so hard, we expect people really did ask questions, was the old lady who approached the bar wearing a t-shirt which announced on its rear:
Pilates In Progress. ===============
2005/6/2 TO CONTINUE with relevant football, well done to M. Owen and his hat-trick of excellence on Tuesday night. Meanwhile...last Thursday was the second of the two picnics.
Spoon: 49p. Thank goodness for Wilko's. No thanks to the weather though, which was not very considerate to my very much non-heat-resistant body - noted in the following song written and posted upon Chan's Space:
I'm on the train...
I'm on a train to Wake - fiiield
It looks like rain...
But I don't really care
I've brought a tub...
And its got your name oonnn
But only if you're lucky will I share
Hey!
It's Thursday morn...
And the birds are sing - iinng
Heard that before...
(On the phone at five...a.m.)
It's too humid...
Hell I'm F*ing Boil - iiing
Time to go make out in open air!
Woo!
Anyhow, The Field was found with an equal intrepidation as before, Bird Shit Bridge passed with a dry success, and it seemed to be significantly more floral this time - which increased Chan's concerns on nettles (that you or I might better describe as 'dandelions')..
Lunch: Mixed pasta salad (possibly with something meaty in - thanks alot Chan,can't say I expected poisoning quite so early), Ben&Jerrys Cookiedough and raspberries.
The dog count this time was much higher, and although we escaped any similar attacks on our leftovers one particular canine approached us with suitable curiosity - only to be collared by its owner, exclaiming:
"Come on boy....they're having a thing"
??
I guess it's whatever you want to call it.
Other notable sights:
Two mature ladies ambling on the other side of the field, who we decided were architects due to their interest in the buildings around. At some point one simply vanished (or suddenly became so short we couldn't see her in the long grass) and the other, of broader aspect, took ambling to the extreme in taking about halfanhour to walk out..
'Random Yellow Boy' (just a boy in a yellow top actually but he appeared out of nowhere)
"..bastards.." Rather annoyingly, these particular characters cannot be seen as objects of our 'fight the chav' tagline above, because they weren't really. It is possible they were chavs going for a retro townie look, but we didn't care about that after - on their way past - one announced "gotta admire your girlfriend mate" and another "I'd hire her".
The wrath of the woman scorned is not to be argued with, although I did manage to hold her down (history of violence, I'm not looking for a run in with the Feds tbh), and they did not return much to their favour.
Sorry guys, you just ain't rich enough.
And will someone shut Ted the feck up....honestly.... ===============
2005/5/26 KINGS OF EUROPE! But it isn't actually Liverpool's glorious victory that I refer to, hence I shall not be recalling the many moments of genius from the team and and of course incredible talents of Dudek.. Today and last Wednesday Chan and I enjoyed picnics in the park ('park' used a bit loosely), of course picking days which remained for the most part overcast... Leaving out some of the more...ahem..well some of the details:
WED: Starbucks sucks...I missed a train because they were faffing around with the frappe. Then I had to deal with overhearing a woman explaining to someone she didn't know how her nose leaks unattractive sounding fluids at night because of an operation 20something years ago which she had because she went deaf....local trains - keep your ears shut. And your noses for that matter thank you. Successfully sent a package to my halfsis in Cardiff (Happy 5th Birthday Nell!) - see below.
So I had no idea where this mystery field was...and with other Wakefield locations having names such as 'Shag Alley' you can imagine my apprehension, and my pepper spray being to hand. True to form, Chan lead me through the dodgiest follys of Wakefield I have seen so far, including under a bridge inhabited by many, many pigeons.. The Field, however, felt like a small oasis somewhat, and despite not exactly being cut off - rather overlooked by the railway - is pleasant enough to sit in and enjoy one's edibles.
Lunch: Homemade Mozza/pesto/salad/roast sweet pepper sandwiches, a chickpea salad, strawberries & grapes, and profiterolls brought by the lady herself. Apparently there were pringles knocking around but they'd been kicked to one side by the time w...
Seems the field is also quite popular with dog walking.......yes exactly....... One in particular took a fancy to the leftovers from the desert (not that we bothered to move at all). The dog looked on unimpressed. And naturally, after a few hours so long in their timelessness yet so short in their unfair reality, Chan had to be dragged away in order to 'go back to school'.. ....tbc.... |  |
Delete bits of a friend's blog. ===============
2005/5/17 ITAQUE...Ikea day finally had come (saturday) and after our usual early start (Fiona and I sleeping in till 8:30, having tea in bed, making real coffee, eating Greek yoghurt and honey for breakfast with in house kiwi, banana and orange juice and leaving the house a little before 11) the journey to Nottingham was undertaken. Big?? Certainly.. Rather overwhelmed at first, and of course being an Ikea virgin not knowing what to do particularly...but my main objective - the new bed - was found easily enough just inside the entrance. King size option was noted, and the passage into the depths of the swedish labyrinth continued.
Lunch: Haddock, chips & peas - £3.95
There's definitly some funky stuff (and naturally some not so funky) and alotta surprisingly low price tags. Anyhow enough bigging up Ikea - filled the trolley with cushiony things and bedding, then discovered the candle section and ended up needing another yellow bag.
Total purchases: Alot more than lunch..
Good news was the £45 delivery charge for bed and mattress gave me next day delivery - yes, a sunday, and we were suitably impressed. Big??? Outrageously!! Bed bits arrived at midday, construction began in evening. Somehow I got the king sized mattress up three flights of tight stairs myself.. Turns out its too big for the alcove in my room - but like i care, i have a huge bed!! Almost got lost inside the duvet cover.
Anyhow, see the pics in "this month" album, and feel free to ask for an invite but bear in mind that only select people make it to my bed. ===============
2005/5/12 Ok deal is, if you read this you gotta comment. Why?? Because everyone has an opinion and this is where they're supposed to be so for crying out loud do it for your own good...and afterwards go for a walk... I was having a conversation with someone about kissing and what can make the 'package' (that being everything around it, the befores the durings and the afterfeelings) be, well, like that.. Kinda one of those things you cant put into words. Its like a state of mind I suppose. Anyway - now you're thinking about it you can add your imho's below (anything irrelevant may be removed).
Don't forget its always a team effort. Let's be making the world a better place to make out huh? ===============
2005/5/11 Nothing like blogging whilst riding a Virgin (train). Another hilarious comedy moment for you..
Chan and I had, ahem, 'said' goodbye outside one of many gates and of course in her usual rude and abrupt fashion she had basically suddenly walked off.. Naturally I hollered "something rude" and "...suddenly not so bothered about giving me your cold then..." (think about it if you don't get that one).
And, of course, smack bang in the middle of the "something rude" a teacher did doth emerge from the murkiness of nowhere..
I didn't look back. ===============
So I fiiiiinnallly got a comment *glares, especially at those he might call 'more intimate interests'...*, and so am testing this trackback thingy. Check out this person's photos, some funky jewellery going down in Dundee. Quote Random comments!
How come i get all these views from people on my site, yet no one comments? The only people that seem to take the time to comment are people i have commented on myself! Hmmm. Come on people! Lets have some random comments! sio xxx ===============
2005/5/7 So, I'm at the bar downstairs talking to Fiona about the new bed (see below). Mum walks up with some glasses.. Me: So I showed Chan the bed and she was like "OMG that bed is soo cool!"
Fiona: I bet she did..
At this point Fiona looks at Mum, who's face is allegedly 'a picture'...I of course look away to prevent collapse due to evident uber hilarity
Fiona: From an aesthetic point of view I'm sure. This shows that quick thinking can pay off.
===============
ALL ABOUT ANTICIPATION, isn't it?? Ask your girlfriend, she'll let you in on it.. 'spose the question is "How much of your inheritance have you got left?" and the answer wouldn't be "Most..". Hope to make that more the case next saturday with the aquisition of a new bed. Ikea Day with Fiona - been looking forward to this for a while, never been myself. Any tips appreciated..
Added a phone and a digicam to my increasingly insurance laden bag. Lucky is the man/woman/squirral that mugs me. And have managed to use the wireless outdoors finally...oh the freedom...then found out I can connect the laptop to net via GPRS using the new phone. Looking forward to that phone bill! Trust the Spanish.. In the eye of the beholder?? Pic below is closeup of Chan's eye in Chan&Me @ AS Place (see creativity folder). Lovin new camera.. A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get it started."
Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"
The blonde says,
"According to the picture on the box, it's a tiger."
Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.
He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says:
"First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a tiger."
He takes her hand and says,
"Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then....." he sighed,
"let's put all these Kelloggs Frosties back in the box". ===============
2005/5/1 Photo album - Phonography (yes I am aware it sounds a bit like pornography, thanks everyone) Modifications - General has been split into 'Odds' and 'Sods' (ie random stuff and people)
===============
2005/4/30 Photo folders added - ...this month... - obvious I guess
Creativity - more effort than pointNshoot involved
===============
2005/4/22 AT LAST, my own computer - oh the relief.. Why? 'cos I need one.
How? Inheritance received last week.
When? Wednesday.
What? Dinky lil laptop with wireless and stuff.
Who? Say wa?? Look forward to external blogging. Switching the wireless on whilst in a moving vehicle is rather interesting by the way.. 2005/4/18 I KNOW, I KNOW, my commitment to blog is at least a little more than once a week...and it isn't like there's not been much to blog about. I almost made a post on Wednesday expressing delight that the end of my holiday looked ok (following my ‘interest’ becoming grounded at the beginning of it, the subsequent lack of her in Manchester and anything that didn’t even have a chance to be conceived after that, and then a failed attempt to ‘bump into’ her in Bakewell a week ago). And so, having seen and lunched with her for the first time in two and a half weeks, end of week plans were put in place in light of an unofficial lifting of punishment. To quote Fi: "You haven’t smiled so much all holiday". Then: Thurs: In a rather out-of-the-blue fashion, received my share of the estate of my late Great Grandmother. Essentially very good of course, and enabling me to get myself a new computer and much needed mobile phone – hopefully in the nest week – but I felt slightly odd about it and on..
Fri: I looked for someone to have a serious moment with about it (and other matters), but that someone was joined by another someone. It also became apparent that the weekend was not as free as had been hoped, and we were left with a 2-hour ‘slot’ on each day. Hence Friday ended in a mixed way.
Sat: Due to train problems, I was forced to abandon the attempted journey when my arrival time would have been such that I would have practically turned around upon reaching the destination, as our time was up. However it was only revealed later that in fact another hour had been bargained for, and it may still have been worth it.. Somewhat frustrated, yes, but also relieved there was a backup in the next day.
Sun: Travel mostly successful. However, start-of-slot was bumped on slightly and end-of-slot brought forward to avoid missing train (the next connection being two hours later). In the middle…a pleasant hour or so of chit chat between her, her brother, and me..
Then I departed in the drizzle. And now my first two days back, which are to be in no way normal (partly due to young enterprise as usual). Hindsight is brilliant for spotting where you should have acted on your guts. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever thought "..turn around – catching a train is less important.." ===============
2005/4/11 Not clever: texting your new blog to a bunch of people, then realising the addy was wrong. RIGHT, CAN'T BE arsed to continue to ponder what I don't quite like about the space, so am opening the doors. Kinda like the idea of letting it evolve as I begin to use it in a regular fashion.
Got some ideas lined up - 'things/photos of the week', 'my top ten outta the chart's 40'...I dunno, we'll see. And something in connection with my bedroom photowall.
Of course, I'll also begin to reveal many personal secrets of the people in my life presently.. Feel free to send suggestions on a postcard =============== Today? -
Morn: ocular pain via fatigue -
Lunch: mental pain via unnecessary YE hassle -
Afternoon: financial pain via bday presents, music and OJ -
Evening: more mental pain attempting to ponder other pains I've been through today I'd be more detailed, but see above. Picked up The Faders' single (in truth, one of various versions of the single - gotta love those music execs who clearly need more money..) 'No Sleep Tonight', which is a little anthem between someone et moi..
Not as impressed by B-side 'You Can't Stop Me' which is too similar - perhaps since the line "..you can't stop this feeling.." occurs frequently in the former. Anyhow, top tune. Also got Chemical Bros. Singles 93-03 to fill a bit of a gap in the ol' collection. Weather mostly lovely. Think again - bad thing, as Wednesday is set for rain when I traverse to Wakefield for a spot of lunch with the fairer. Today's sunshine would be nice since it'll have been 2 1/2 weeks since last meeting. It wouldn't have been the case at all if she hadn't got herself grounded for crying out loud...and less of a case if Friday's Bakewell-Plan hadn't been pissed on by a sudden rush of eagerness by a certain Duke of Edinburgh expedition group..
Yes, I do see the connection between climate the and the relationship :-S Haven't had enough cous-cous to go into the whats and whos properly - 'to-be-explained-later'. =============== BLOODY YOUNG ENTERPRISE with its bloody 'trade fair' on bloody next tuesday. Only managed a couple of hours at TatlowStancer since I had to leave for the lunchtime meeting...@ school... At least its the boss wearing a duck costume!! 1-0.
I wont need to be reminded to put up pictures of that, for sure...
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