Tuesday, December 31, 2002

 

The Rose - Bette Midler

Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower, and you it's only seed.
It's the heart, afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance.
It's the dream, afraid of waking, that never takes a chance.
It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give.
And the soul, afraid of dyin', that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.

Download available here (3.4Mb)



posted by Mark 01:07

 
New Year Resolutions..??

I don't make them, never have, never will. I believe that we should assess ourselves everyday, with every decision that we make and every action that we take.

You can tell when it is nearing the end of November because the number of adverts on the telly for toys and gifts litterally double. You can tell when Christmas is with us because the holiday adverts appear appealing to our subconsious because we seek an escape, a chance to get away from the stresses that many suffer over the Christmas period.

I'm not a big watcher of TV (apart from when football matches are on) but I notice that we must be near New Year because of the large number of Nicotine patch and gum adverts appearing. I guess there will be plenty seeing Jan 1st as a good time to quit the evil weed and so we are again the recipients of the marketing agents "targeting their audiences"

posted by Mark 01:01

Monday, December 30, 2002

 
Afternoon visit.

A few weeks ago, Junior and I had the pleasure of meeting Ariel and her daughter when they came to visit us one afternoon just before Juniors birthday. Today it was our turn to be looked after for a few hours and a chance for the little ones to swap Christmas presents.

Junior being the honest little man that he is, handed over W's pressie and promptly told her what it was with barely one foot in through the door. Ariel is a self confessed lover of sparkley things and it showed as the house was awash with fairy lights all around the house, it really did look beautiful.

Once the presents were opened it didn't take long for the playing to begin. In the 4 hours we were there it was easy to believe that the kids were the best of friends even though this was only the second time in each others company (apart from playgroup some time ago). W has a little wooden sleigh with 2 reindeer with a jovial Father Christmas. At one point Junior was holding the reindeer as W held the sleigh and they were walking in tandem as it "flew" around the room to deliver presents to the occupants of W's dolls house. W also has a train set, so basically Junior was in his element as the two of them fed off each other and played as good children do :)

All in all, the afternoon went well and time for us to head home came way too soon. The kids were happy and relaxed in each other's company which meant that Ariel and I were able to chat to each other about loads of stuff. I often find conversation difficult especially in new company but there are also times when I cannot shut up. I hope I didn't bore the poor girl by going on too much. Hugs to you both for a great afternoon xx

posted by Mark 23:52

Saturday, December 28, 2002

 
WOW!!!! I think I can honestly say that the build up to Christmas and the day itself have been the best ever. No stress, no worries. As far as I can recall, this has been the first time in my working life that I haven't been working Christmas Eve. (Sunday Christmases don't count). To have a full weekend AND two weekdays to prepare have felt sooo wierd and definately a wierd I could get used to :)

Mummy came here Christmas Eve so she could be involved with bedtime and be here when he woke up. (Or rather wake him up...) Junior is usually easy to put to bed and he needed no encouragement to snuggle up in bed. He was reminded to check his Christmas stocking when he woke, then kissed night night.

I was awoken from my slumber (on the sofa) at about 9am by Junior (mummy in tow) bursting through the room door waving his stocking and shouting "Father Christmas has been" In his stocking were some picture cards for playing "Snap" a set of chalks, a soft ball and an apple which required little prompting to be eaten.

While he unwrapped those little things and munched away he was directed towards a sack beside the tree. One by one he opened the brightly coloured wrapping paper on each present. The first one, some railway track was greeted with a big "WOW" and an "Oooooo". Some colouring books, some more track, some cars, some railway buildings, a game, a book...

Just before he opened the last present in the bag he was asked if he had found an engine yet... He looked around at this big pile of toys beside him and replied "not yet" He peeled open the paper and found a Jigsaw.
"Is that everything?" he was asked, "Yes, thankyou Mummy, thankyou Daddy" and he started to look through the pile to decide which toy to play with first. "I think there is one more present under the tree" he was informed...

Time for a quick game?

Name the song...

I've liked this song for a while. Hearing it again over the Christmas Period prompted me to download it. I wasn't 100% certain of the lyrics, so I looked them up here and it's strange the words you find when you look...

Can you guess the song and film?

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the xxxxxxxxx

* ANSWER *
(Hover for answer, Click to Download - 3.8Mb)



posted by Mark 22:55

Tuesday, December 24, 2002

 
Wayheyyyyyyyyyyy, it's 12:15am on Christmas Eve :) Christmas Day is less than 24 hours away



Advent Calendar - Christmas Eve (2.6 Mb)


9:20pm on Christmas Eve

Just before I unplug the PC and carry it upstairs (*Groans) just time for me to say

Merry Christmas to One and All

Whether single, married, in a relationship, with kids, religious or not, remember that Christmas celebrates the creation of a life, a hope for the future, a new start. We swap presents and gifts not because the advertisers tell us to, but because we want to share a moment of happiness with those who are close and mean something in our lives. A way of showing that we value their impact on our futures.

I am only one person in a world of billions, but for those who can smile at the words that I have just typed, my love and best wishes, to the rest, there is still hope.

May your Gods bless you, your families and friends near and far.

Merry Christmas to one and all....

Monday, December 23, 2002

Advent Calendar - Day 23 (3Mb)


Skimming through the Forums this weekend I came across a thread about things from childhood. The topic started with a question about sweets then one of the members known as "Fella" posted something that I have seen before although it was a while ago and was kind of "warm inside reministance". Fella's post is 9th down the list here.

It set me off thinking about some of the TV programmes back in my dim distant past... Rainbow, Playschool, Fingerbobs, Bagpuss etc. One programme I remember well but cannot recall the name was on at lunchtimes and consisted of a bloke and a woman playing guitar and singing songs as requested by the children viewers with a dackdrop of artwork connected with the songs. My favourite song at that time was one which received quite a bit of airtime and I used to love singing along. Needless to say, I have sourced a copy and it is now uploaded... Puff, The Magic Dragon

All together now, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh :)

Sunday, December 22, 2002

Had a great session (as per usual) in the pool this morning. No sign of the parent and child who I thought owned the green hoop so we played with it again with similar success. I did hand it in though before we left.

I've missed a couple of Advent Calendar dates, so will cheat and insert them as soon as I can (hopefully before midnight Christmas Eve). I Thought I would try a little test on just what I can do with this page and it has worked :) You cannot see it, but you may already have noticed it ;)

posted by Mark 00:16

Saturday, December 21, 2002

 
Remember these litttle characters?

Garghhhhh @ Yahoo Pages. My problem with uploading the BJH songs was that despite Yahoo having 30Mb of space, each upload has a 5Mb maximum size limit. The 2 songs (Sleepy Sunday, I Have A Feeling) are 8Mb and 6Mb. Still may be worth looking for with your favoured P2P software.

Time for West Bromich Albion Vs Sunderland



Advent Calendar – Day 21

Friday, December 20, 2002

Advent Calendar – Day 20


posted by Mark 14:43

Thursday, December 19, 2002

 
Football bit

I felt so sorry for Aston Villa last night. I watched their game against Liverpool and from 3-1 down pulling it back to 3-3 with minutes to go and looking as if they were either going to score the winner and go into the semi-finals of The Worthington Cup or at least play extra time. Both teams were winners, despite obvious heartache for Villa and their fans. For a neutral, it was a great game.

12 O'clock onwards...

Today was our works Christmas Lunch, held at the Highlander on the Peel Road (That's the A1 to all you Pedants :Þ) I had a quick trip to the toy shop first to pick up the last few pieces of track for Junior's Train Set then a short walk to the car and on to filling my tummy with loads of scrummy food :)

I bumped into Ariel on the way to the car, grabbed a few quick words and even got a Christmas kiss (*blushes while making note to buy some mistletoe).

I was the last but one into the Highlander and the place was buzzing. Just had time to grab a shandy and we were all ushered into the resturant part. This was my first time in there and it seemed a little bit of a tight squeze but we all managed to fit in.

I have an appauling memory and was racking my brains as to what I had ordered when the menus went round the office a few weeks ago. Luckily, someone had the good sense to have kept note of everyones orders (Phewww). The food, I am happy to report, was "luvly" :)

I had my first taste of Manx Queenies (sautéd with bacon in Garlic and Lemon butter) followed by a Loin of Pork filled with apricot and ginger, a mustard sauce and a veg side plate. My pudding was a toffee and apple marangue

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I could have eaten it all twice :)

And Home...

Fired up Winamp on the PC for some tunez and made sure that the train track fit into the spaces in the layout. Then packed everything away into the boxes (Boohooo) ready for wrapping and storing under the tree.

I have added another link to my "Blogs I read" list - An Ounce of Hope. I found this page from Listener's site and like the simple way in which it is written yet still comes across in an interesting and informative manner. I was reading it and thinking "That is the way I would like to write".

Music

As some are aware, I like a group called Barclay James Harvest. They have a massive catalogue of songs and I am still hearing odd ones for the first time. Two that were hard (for me) to locate on WinMX were "Sleepy Sunday" and "I've got a feeling". If you like chilling tunes, may I recommend giving them an audition? I have tried uploading them both to Yahoo Pages but there seems to be a minor hiccup in the transfer. If I succede as the night goes on, I'll post links on here.




Advent Calendar – Day 19 (Download)




posted by Mark 19:06

 
Junior's Chritmas Pressie

I mentioned previously that this years biggie for Junior is a Hornby Train Set. He is with Mummy tonight and tomorrow night, so guess what Daddy has been playing with sorting out all night? hee hee.

Mummy and I went halves on the Harry Potter Train Set, not cos it is trendy (anyone who knows me also knows that "Mark" and "trendy" don't usually share the same sentence) but because Hornby stuff aint cheap, and in comparrison it was a reasonable price. The set consists of a red steam engine and 2 carridges (Hogwart Express), basic oval of track with a siding and a little station. I've sorted a 6'x4' plywood board to lay it on and bought extra track to make a second 'outer' oval and extra sidings, an engine shed and signal box. There is a bigger station and a couple of goods wagons etc. coming as pressies from friends and family.

The purpose of tonight was to set up the track so far and see which odd bits I need to complete the layout. Six more pieces of track will do it. I am fairly happy that he'll be more than pleased when he opens his gifts and sees the layout grow before his eyes.

Tomorrow I'll be heading up to B&Q with a handful of vouchers from last year to buy green paint for the grass, black paint for the road and grey paint for the track bed. The paint will be stored away until after Christmas so that Junior can get over the initial shock then we can begin the task of painting the board and creating a landscape with hills, hedges, trees, etc. It is my intention (touch wood) that the Train Set won't just be a stop go stop go... bored... It will be an ongoing project that we can do together. Unless the house suddenly increases in size, the track shape will stay as it is but I hope to take his already developing artistic interests and nurture them along a little bit.

Junior loves trains, he loves modeling and painting. This is my way of bringing these interests together and without even the slightest of hint of a Daddy who is an overgrown kid at heart wanting to play train drivers... Honest ;)


posted by Mark 00:59

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

 


Advent Calendar – Day 18 (Link)



posted by Mark 23:56

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 17 (Link)

Monday, December 16, 2002

Advent Calendar - Day 16 (Link)




posted by Mark 00:16

Sunday, December 15, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 15 (Link)


Proud Daddy Moments :)
Junior was with Mummy last night and came home just after lunchtime so our weekly trip to the swimming pool was planned to be from 1:30 to 3:00. On arrival I was amazed at how quiet the place was. I'd guess at there being about a dozen people in already, if that. For most of the first 20 minutes the attendants appeared to be taking turns to watch over us in the water. A couple of good things happened today and both were as a result of other people.

Firstly, Junior found a green plastic hoop of about 12" in diameter. Usually in the morning swim session there are a few regular faces that we have come to recognise over time. One, a man has two children and I have often watched him tossing one of these hoops for his daughter who I would guess to be 14 to 18 months old for her to swim after and smiled at her total ease in the water as she dunks herself to pick the hoop from the pool bottom. I assume that this hoop was his and he had forgotten it.

Seeing as the pool was so quiet, Junior and I took it in turns to throw the hoop for each other to retrieve. Arm bands are an occasional option for Junior, at this time he was wearing them to swim/splash/walk to the hoop, picking it up from the bottom was easier with his feet due to the bouyancy aids.

Next thing I knew, there was a girl of about 6 infront of me smiling then she turned to Junior and said Hiyaaaaa to him with a big cuddle. It then clicked that Grandad was there too with his daughter. We chatted away as the kids played happily in the water and chased as they darted from pool to pool.

I have to admit that Junior is a genuine copier of other children. Sometimes this is a good thing, othertimes not so. 6 year Auntie had goggles and when Junior saw her wearing them I reminded him of his goggles that I bought for him a month or so before, tried on him for all of 10 seconds then were never used again. All of a sudden he wanted to wear them. So I went to fetch them from the locker. Gentley I placed them onto him half expecting a him to pull them off again. Not this time (me slapped own head growning) I told him (as on previous occasion) that he'd be able to see in the water and he believed me... He dunked himself into the water for a good five seconds looking around, came up and started laughing before looking again at this new view of the swimming pool.

All of a sudden he realised that the hoop was going to be much easier to find in the water and he was happily dunk to grab it (armbands discarded at this point) Then I realised something...(you know when you are watching something then all of a sudden the magnitude hits you?) Whereas before he had been heading for the hoop then reaching down for it, now with goggles he was putting his head into the water straight away then swimming to the hoop and scooping it up...

My boy was swimming unaided...

I thought to myself "Did he just do that?" "Did I really see that?" He was tossing the hoop forward a couple of feet then collecting it, so I threw it for him, about 10 foot away to where the water was a bit deeper.

He started to paddle forward so I said "head down Junior" and he did... Head into the water, bum up and his hands and feet propelling himself forward. No armbands, no helping hand, he was swimming *Insert big grinning face here.

We were due to leave the pool at about 3 o'clock as Sunderland were playing Liverpool on Sky Sports at 4 o'clock. Fully aware of the time, there was no way we were leaving. At 3:30 Junior was looking tired (even though he'd have stayed until closing time) so reluctantly we headed for the showers :)

Proud Sunderland AFC Follower Moment

Sunderland 2 Liverpool 1

And it wasn't a lucky win, it was absolutely deserved. Me grins again :)



posted by Mark 13:12

Saturday, December 14, 2002

 
Mummy found a site today with literally hundreds of online and downloadable games for kids of all ages. Junior gives it a big thumbs up. Kid's Domain




Advent Calendar - Day 14 (Link)

Friday, December 13, 2002

Advent Calendar - Day 13 (Link)


posted by Mark 18:13

Thursday, December 12, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 12 (Link)


posted by Mark 08:14

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 11 (Link)


posted by Mark 00:30

 
Just checked My Stats page...

I'm sure that a search for "naughty elves pic" (Google) is related to my links to Elf Bowling, but how come that at a similar time to to me noticing a view from
United States House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., United States (10 December 21:50)
I also found search.yahoo.com/search?p=hot sex line nos in chilie ?

Worse still is the fact that when I clicked the link, This page was the only result

*shocked expression

posted by Mark 00:03

Tuesday, December 10, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 10 (2.3Mb - contains bad language)


posted by Mark 23:14

Monday, December 09, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 9 (Link)




posted by Mark 00:24

Sunday, December 08, 2002

 


Happy Birthday Junior :)


4 years ago on this date at 2:10pm I became "Daddy" and my life changed for ever.
My life has gone through so many changes since that day, some for worse some for better, but one thing that remains now just as it was then... I look into the eyes of my son and give thanks for a child so beautiful and perfect in every way.






posted by Mark 19:58

 


Advent Calendar - Day 8 (3.6Mb)




posted by Mark 12:05

Saturday, December 07, 2002

 
Busy, hectic and fun day today. I spent part of the day helping Mummy move from Ramsey to Douglas with a willing Junior helper doing his bit by carrying whatever he could manage :)

A mad dash to Shoprite followed because I was due to be visited by the wonderful Ariel and her gorgeous little Princess for a light tea and a kids playing session. I've been reading Ariel's blog for months and she helped me (via email) with parts of this page. With less than an hour to ETA the fridge was empty and I was still stinking from the earlier house moving. Junior and Princess knew each other from playgroup and even had the same childminder (but at different times) yet Ariel and my paths hadn't crossed properly despite a number of previous attempts.

Despite there being a gap since they last played at playgroup, Junior was excited about meeting Princess again and the antisipation was reciprocated. Junior saw them approaching through the window and as soon as I opened the door he ran out to meet them and welcome them both into our humble abode.

The afternoon appeared to be a great success, the kids played together like old buddies. Ariel and I were able to chat and we both beamed like proud parents at they way they got on. By 7pm both kids were looking worn out and ready to give us parents a quiet night ahead. (I had one more little job to do afterwards then bedtime was simple here) The time flew by way too quickly and we here are looking forward to doing it all again some time soon :)



posted by Mark 23:08

 


Advent Calendar - Day 7 (Link)



posted by Mark 21:45

Friday, December 06, 2002

 


Advent Calendar - Day 6 (400kb)



posted by Mark 09:32

Thursday, December 05, 2002

 
For the benefit of "He who shall remain nameless and "others"... Yes, the icons are pretty, but you are supposed to click them.... *sound of me slapping my forehead



posted by Mark 17:11

 


Advent Calendar - Day 5 (400kb)





posted by Mark 13:34

Wednesday, December 04, 2002

 

Advent Calendar - Day 4 (Link)



posted by Mark 12:33

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

 

Advent Calendar - Day 3 (Link)


posted by Mark 01:24

Monday, December 02, 2002

 

Advent Calender - Day 2 (2Mb)


(*Note to 56k Modem users. Right click the picture, "save target as..." and save to desktop)

posted by Mark 00:19

Sunday, December 01, 2002

 
Friday evening is usually when I have a mass cleaning and general house tidying session but it was postponed due to Junior being at home. He spent most of Saturday, overnight and the best part of today with Mummy so this morning I set about pulling out the fridge to wash the floor under it and all those other jobs that you suddenly remember.

As I finished my chores I was faced with 3 options... a) Fix the clutch on my car... b) Tidy the back jungle... c) Watch the Newcastle v Everton game... It was a tough descision, but worth making when Shearer's volley hit the back of the net :)
I felt sorry for Everton. Having a few Liverpool fans as friends and family I would have loved to have seen Everton move above them in the League, but sadly it wasn't to be (maybe next week). I cannot wait to see the next Merseyside derby :)

Junior went to see Father Christmas at the Strand Shopping Centre yesterday :) He will also be visiting IOM Railways AND Groudle Glen Railways Father Christmas's. Last year, due to the IRIS Scheme, the Steam trains only ran as far as Snotty Bridge and back with Santa on board. This year it's the usual trip to Santon and a decorated Grotto in the Station building. Junior can remember seeing Santa on the train last year, but I don't think he recalls the grotto so it will be like a new experience for him again :)

We played a couple of games of picture dominoes tonight before he went for his bath. He picked the game up really quickly but tries to cheat on the odd occasion. He knows that he has to match the pictures at either end, but will place an odd tile along the length of the chain. He grins as he does it and grumbles when caught out :)

When he was younger and learning his colours and animals/shapes etc. Mummy and I used to say things like "it's a green triangle" while pointing to a red circle or "it's an elephant" when pointing to a duck to encourage him to correct us. It worked, it was a glowy moment when he'd look at us as if we were daft and say "noooo, it isn't, it's a ....." I'm a great believer in filling his head and trying to think of ways to help his development. From about 6 months when dressing we'd specify left and right hands, left and right feet as they were pushed into clothing. When he was learning to talk, a picture of a dog didn't produce "DOG", it was a "brown dog, sitting down"... Always trying to get as much information into his poor little head as possible whilst respecting that he would only learn and remember the things he wanted to learn. (ie. without being pushy, that is as bad as being slack)

I was reminded tonight in the bath when he was rummaging under the bubbles for one of his boats. While he was searching I asked what he was looking for. "My small boat" he replied. He found it. "Ahhh, your red and green boat?" NO!! Red, Green and YELLOW boat Daddy, look... it's got yellow on the chimney" he replied in a 'I'm going to put you in your place' kind of voice.

I have found another "object" for my "Online Advent Calendar" but it isn't midnight yet, so you'll all have to be good and wait until tomorrow ;) To those who have opened todays, please keep in mind that I offer no guarentee or refunds if the quality is below expected standards. I only said they will be Christmas related ;)



posted by Mark 23:14

 

Advent Calender - Day 1 (3.2Mb)


posted by Mark 00:39

Saturday, November 30, 2002

 
Grrrrrrrr @ the rain this morning, the garden will have to wait another week or more for the stone.

I'm actually starting to feel Christmasy. I've downloaded a couple of Christmas songs from WinMX and am thinking about where to put the tree when it goes up next weekend. A few years ago I had an interest in electronics and built a simple "sound to light" circuit. I'm not sure yet whether the tree's fairy lights will be wired into it. I've done it before and it can be funny (only briefly) to see expressions when visitors realise that the tree lights are reacting to their voice and music/noises in the room.



I thought about making an online Advent Calendar where readers can click an icon and it will link to something Christmas related. Seeing as I am failing miserabley at finding enough to add to this Blog on a daily basis, I'll add links as I find them. I have one ready for tomorrow and icons that will hopefully show up on the page and link okay.



posted by Mark 22:52

 
I can honestly say that the days are passing quicker in my current job than in previous ones. In a way it is good as it means that I am rushing around to do a days work rather than standing around waiting for things to happen. On the other hand it means that life seems to be passing quicker.

Every evening this week I have been tired out, mentally and physically yet I am still struggling to sleep at night. At least 3 times I have still been laid in bed well after 2am wondering if I am going to wake on time in the morning :/ Wednesday night I was asleep by 11:30 but then slept through the alarm(s) on Thursday morning.

I am hoping for a dry day and not too cold in the morning. I found a source of free stone to finish off a wall in my back garden a while ago. All I have to do is turn up and stack it on a pallet ready for transporting home but either time or the weather has thwarted my previous attempts. Junior has been staying with Mummy on Friday nights recently. A last minute change of plans means that he is here tonight, so I am also hoping Mummy can get here at a reasonable time in the morning for me to dash off in my scruffs to get my hands dirty (Ahhhhh, happy memories).

My PC at work continues to lock up at the most inconvieient times. It really is beginning to annoy me. Not only does it wipe the data that I have entered, but then it locks me out so I have to run around getting someone else to reopen the pages for me so I can start again. I hate my time being wasted GRRRRRRR...



posted by Mark 00:06

Tuesday, November 26, 2002

 
Good news:
When I bought my car (well, tiled a friends kitchen) it needed a headlight and a couple of bits and pieces fiddling with. I was quoted £70 plus VAT for the lamp fitting :o

One day, as I was leaving DMS with Spark plugs in hand I was approached by a guy who had seen me get out of the car. He had an identical car which was sat outside his house surplus to requirement and was I interested for the princely sum of £50... £20 less than the lamp I wanted. Too right I was interested. The clutch on his car was on the way out (he said) other than that it ran and he was happy for me to go round to his have a look at it and to drive the car round to mine. Mine was a dull white (now with a hint of soot) his was metalic green and looked nicer than mine. I swapped the light and a few other parts over and was going to scrap the leftovers, shame I am such a slack git ;)

I spent 3 hours on Saturday remembering which bit's I had pulled off the green one and how they fitted back (I'm great at a lot of things, but I'm no mechanic ;) ) and turned the key. It fired up first time :) The clutch is slipping a bit, but I should be able to pull the good one from my pile of ashes and swap it. So I am mobile again and luckily at no extra (depleated pockets) cost :)

Had a great session at the pool on Sunday. Junior donned his armbands to go into the main pool and managed to swim a full length. He did touch the side briefly when about 2/3rds of the way along, so I moved him 5 or 6 foot back in the water for cheating ;)

Saturday afternoon had it's crazy moments when Junior's 5 year old auntie came visiting. We had a Ripsaw version of "Simon says", a Ripsaw version of "What time is it Mr Wolf?" and a Ripsaw version of "Lets copy the video of Lord of the Dance" for 20 minutes. I was bladdy knackered... Junior does a great Michael Flattley impression though LOL :)

His Playgroup photos came back this week too. I make no apologies for grinning as I type this, that boy is sooo gorgeous. I'd love to know where he gets his looks from ;)



It's the 25th of November today. That means there is ONE CALENDAR MONTH to Christmas. I apologise to the other parents, aunts and uncles out there, but we have to face facts. 30 days of Hmmming and Arrrring and hoping that our thoughts about what makes a good Christmas pressie are agreed with by our respective little ones.

I have of course been brainwashing Junior for 11 months as to how silly a lot of toys appearing on TV are, and how much better others are. I think it has worked. I was in the kitchen the other day and a shout came from infront of the telly "Daddyyyyyyyyyy, come here... I don't want one of those, do I?" Hee Hee.

Before anyone rings up the Manx NSPCC with a child cruelty tip off, Junior and I spend a lot of time playing together. He loves jigsaws and his bricks. I spend more time helping him build new Thomas train Set layouts than he spends running the engines. I am a great believer in interactive play between him and myself. When we "read" the Early Learning Centre catalogue it is scarey how many times one of us can say "I/you have one of those" but I can smile because the vast majority of his toys have some educational or eye hand co-ordination value.

Tonight Junior and Mummy pulled out an old shoe box and his paints to make an engine shed. Mummy did the cutting, he did the sellotaping and painting. (and with very little mess) . Pleased as punch he was when after prodding it at 5 minute intervals to check it was drying, he was able to carry it upstairs to add to his latest (soon to be rearranged) layout :)

One of his Christmas gifts are a Hornby train set. It is intended for us to spend time building plaster of Paris and papier mashé hills and tunnels and paining them to add to the layout. Although this train set won't be a pull apart and push together one like his Thomas set, I intend him gain some creative development from it.

He is at the "why" stage of his development at the moment, I expected it sooner in his life, but I think he deliberatly held back until he was slightly older (ie NOW) and more able to keep the "Why" questions going for 30 minute conversations. I'm sure he walks off after such chats and splits his sides laughing at my straining to maintain a relaxed and patient appearence.



posted by Mark 00:19

Wednesday, November 20, 2002

 
It never rains, but it pours...

Saturday: Junior was a bit "runny" so I thought it best to give Sunday's swim a miss. He was fine in the end.

Sunday: Watching Football on Telly, I stood up to make a half time cuppa and felt a sharp pain in my back coupled with a tightness right around my chest and difficulty breathing. Heart rate jumped and difficulting standing. Chest pains eased on Monday.

Monday: Computer at work crashed 3 times deleting 30 to 50 minutes work with each blue screen.

Tuesday: See long Tuesday blog.

Wednesday: Waiting for my hastley arranged lift to turn up, Childminders daughter rings to say she is feeling ill, So I am at home today. I phoned work to apologise for my impending absence and remembered that I was also supposed to be meeting Ariel and Stavros at lunchtime for a drink. Cancelled.

Thursday: ???



posted by Mark 09:27

Tuesday, November 19, 2002

 
Did I say that life was boring on occasions? darn me for speaking too soon :)

Funniest thing to happen today?

I left work, drove home, picked up the Family Allowance envelope and went to my local Post Office. Junior was being picked up from the childminders, so I left the front door unlocked in case they got back before me. As I was returning home from the Post Office I thought I could smell petrol. I dismissed it because my car still isn't running right, and I have to keep the manuel choke 1/4 on.

I pulled up onto the hardstanding outside the house, turned off the engine and I heard a "pufft" With that, flames started appearing from under the bonnet !!!

"Oh dear" I thought to myself, "that doesn't look good". I had a split second of thinking "What the hell do I do?" before I came up with the sensible idea to roll the car backwards away from the house, and pull the bonnet release.

I ran into the kitchen to fill the washing up bowl with water, and told the water to run faster from the tap. By the time I got back outside the paint on the bonnet was peeling away from the metal and flames were coming from the radiator grill and the air vent.

I poured some of the water through the vent and then tried to ease the bonnet up a bit to enable me to try and throw a bit into the engine bay. At this point I was wondering if calling the Fire Brigade might just be a good idea. But to stand yapping on the phone for 30 seconds or so didn't seem like a good idea at that exact moment in time, so I ran back for more water. Another bowl full thrown through the radiator grill seemed to calm the visible flames a bit, but I could hear crackling noises from inside.

I needed more water, so I grabbed the swing bin in the kitchen, tipped the contents onto the floor (luckily it only had a couple of bits in) and was furiously throwing bowlfulls of water into it. Lifting the bonnet can be dangerous as it gives more air to the flames, but I had no choice. The metal wasn't too hot to lift, so I raised it slowly as I poured more water in. I was able to extinguish the rest of the fire, then throw a bit more around to cool it down. I walked slowly to my front door to sit down for a second, thinking about what had and could have happened just as the car carrying Junior home pulled up.

I was so glad that he hadn't been with me, not only because of the danger that he could have been in, but that I was able to concentrate on dealing with the fire without panicing that he was under my feet. The car engine is gutted, all the wiring and pipes are melted away and there is no chance of repair. The battery is intact so no acid leekage, it is just blackened from smoke. Infact when I was happy that it wasn't going to flare up again, I pushed the car back onto the drive and realised the radio was still playing away.

Transport to the childminders and work is sorted for the week, but come Saturday I'm going to have to try and sort out alternative means. Just what I needed with Juniors Birthday and Christmas coming up.

Good job I'm an optimist ;) LOL :)


posted by Mark 21:38

Saturday, November 16, 2002

 
Good day today :) After (only) 4 weeks of promising to go swap an outdoor light for a friend, the weather and my busy schedule allowed me to do it today. For my work I was presented with a box full of books for Junior, loads of them. Tonight had the potential to be a long bedtime, but I managed to pursuade him that we should spread them out over a number of nights rather than reading them all in one hit :)

With the books was an electronic word game. The type with pictures and letters that fit into the correctly shapes holes. He was well away with it firstly placing all the letters into their respective holes on the board and then onto the picture cards. It needs new batteries to "speak" but he didn't mind, he really was confident matching the letter shapes.

Link: (for those without Sky Premiership Plus)
Liverpool Vs Sunderland. Sunday 17th November 2:00pm Kick Off (GMT) Live Match Commentry (Realplayer)




posted by Mark 23:25

Friday, November 15, 2002

 
The Blogger homepage says I need to upgrade to the "paid for" hosting if I want to add images to my blog...

So what the heck is THAT then ?? Not only an image, but a "linked image" at that. Darn, I'm getting good at this webby page lark. :)


posted by Mark 21:25

 
I've added a couple more photos to my Yahoo page Including Junior in Halloween mood :)

I've also had a play about with this page template. I've added a couple more links and for some reason I had no archives prior to the 1st of October. I found a page which enabled me to republish them and so all my ramblings from the start back in August are now listed as they should be.



posted by Mark 20:07

 
A couple of quick links...

When Peter Reid was relinquished of his duties at Sunderland FC, the club was inundated with letters from hopeful replacements. An edited selection of them are here.

A big wave to Monkey_Magic. He has recently started a blog about his life. Looks like it will be worth keeping an eye on. You can read his messages, so far, here.

posted by Mark 18:38

Thursday, November 14, 2002

 
Just before anyone reads an inuendo in that last line... sorry to dissapoint, but it really is a carrot ;) *blushes :o


posted by Mark 21:15

 
This week (as most seem to) has flown past. I have stacks of emails to catch up with and reply to. I'm going to try and sort them all tonight inbetween peeling potatoes and grilling meat etc. Apparently, back in the days when I was regularly in online chat, people used to take some convincing that I used to prepare the next days vegetables as I was typing. Well it true, even now I have a plastic bag on my lap with a semi peeled carrot laid on it :)




posted by Mark 21:14

Sunday, November 10, 2002

 
A mixed weekend...

There are times when I dispair. Times when I want to say simple things, but I cannot because sometimes even the simplist thing offends. I don't want hassle in my life, I don't look for it, I don't ask for it. but it often seem as if I face it, no matter what I do.

I have a reasonble ammount of control over my life on a day to day basis. When I am forced into making a decision about a particular moment in my life, I always, always base my descisions on what is best for those affected by my descision. Sometimes my thoughts hurt others, but is it really up to me to fight to explain myself when faced with a brick wall, deaf ears? Why do I feel guilty for stating what (to me) is the obvious? For the sake of stopping and listening for a few moments in time and actually thinking about long term effects, instead of going off on one, I think that life would be so easy, but life isn't like that, is it?

There are 101 thoughts running through my mind at times. I have commented a number of times about my inability to settle and sleep at night. I am the sort of person who cam imagine a scenario and work out numerous, if not every permutation of the possible outcomes. On many occassions I should be sleeping, but my head is overactive, what if (a). what if (b) etc...

It would be easy for me to say that I am depressed with life. Despite my attempts to always convey an appearence of settled and straight forward happy life, I have to admit that it isn't true.

If I make a descision, I live with it. If I make a mistake and realise it, I am big enough to admit it without looking for others to find ways out of it for me. I am very insular and single minded. I would even say that I am secretive... Not because I want to keep secrets, but because I don't want... correction, I hate to feel as if I burden others, or feel within that I am seeking pity.

There was a moment this weekend which lasted for less than 5 minutes, but I have been antisipating for over a year, and it tears me apart, but I had to say what I said, and I have to do what I will do. I hate the thought of having a negative effect on another persons life, but I cannot let them have the same on mine.

I am not going into detail. Despite the fact that I know I will be discussed elsewhere for my comments, I am not going to use that as justifacation for me spreading ill will against another person. It is enough for me to say that I am pissed off with listening to stories of hardship from those who have no respect for the mess they left behind without a thought. In many ways, I am blessed, I don't deny it, but only because I had the sense to predict situations before they arose, and I aint gonna feel guilty for it. In my mind, I have biten my tongue beyond what is reasonable and will continue to do so for the long term benefit, But I aint going to be dictated to.

On a lighter note...

I love singing. At home to VH1, to my collection of MP3's, To the radio... I'm not great, but I don't care, even when down I sing out of happiness. If I am down I can put on music and sing myself into a good mood again. Today in the car on the way to the Swiming Pool I was singing away at the top of my voice to the radio. As the chorus began I turned to Junior with a smile on my face... He was sitting there with his fingers in his ears.... I closed my mouth :(

Ha'way the Lads...

I settled down to watch Sunderland Vs Spurs wondering what sort of game I was going to experience today. I will admit that I was gutted when Peter Reid was released from his duties as Sunderland manager, I was gobsmacked when Howard Wilkinson was appointed as his successor. If fact the the thought WTF? crossed my mind.

I have noticed a change in tactics and attitude though, and changes for the better. On Wednesday I witnessed the lads come back from 2-0 down against Arsenal. I genuinley edged forward on my seat when a goal was scored to give Sunderland a chance. I could have burst out of skin when actually scored a second to equalise, but there was still that feeling that they would get to the last 10 minutes and collapse to defeat. When they went 3-2 up, I still felt uneasy as Arsenal turned on the pressure, but they held on for a hard fought and deserved victory. Arsenal fans will say "It was the Worthington cup, no major deal and we played with a weakened team" but Sunderland fielded a team that was reminisent of a reserves match. only 2 regular first team players, half a dozen of them were on the transfer list. I was so close to sending another email to "you're on Sky Sports" saying "HA HA HA HA HA from a Sunderland fan" but I resisted the urge. Anyway, back to todays match... Spurs didn't play that badly, just that Sunderland played well. They fought, they scrapped, for crying out loud they "defended" :o

The goosepimpley moment was seeing Kevin Phillips... Not the goal, but his reaction to it. If you read this then see highlights of the game, look into his eyes as he reacts to his goal. Then look at Flo's face as he sprints onto the ball forward before he scores the games second goal.... and his reactioary celebration.

2 or 3 weeks ago too many passes went astray, they was no effort to chase the ball. Today there was and if there is a neutral who didn't enjot that game then I would question their neutrality.

Next week it is Liverpool at Anfield. This isn't some throwaway comment -> IF and this is a BIG "if"... If Sunderland can approach that game with the same spirit that they played today, then I see no reason why they cannot cause an upset. Watching recent Liverpool games and bearing in mind that they have a Champions League game away mid week, then I really do believe that next weekend I can send out a couple of SMS messages with a bladdy big grin on my face :p

Bedtime :)



posted by Mark 23:13

Friday, November 08, 2002

 
A BIG wave tonight to Declan. I was reading through his message board/Forum and found this link. Man Vs Woman within the same house. Now women reading it will say the guy has a problem, the men reading it will agree and say "Too right, It's HER!!!" I stiffled a laugh at the definition under the opening photo of the subject in question ;)

Quote from the site :

... the thing is, if you're an English male, what you do when you leave home is go to the shop nearest to your new place, buy a Pot Noodle (Chicken and Mushroom), feast on its delights slumped on the sofa in front of the TV, swill out the plastic carton it came in, then use this carton for all your subsequent meals until you get married. There's a beauty of economy to it. Thus, when I cook a meal for four, the aftermath left in the sink as I carry the gently steaming plates to the table is a single saucepan and, if I've pulled out the all stops to dazzle visiting Royalty, perhaps a spoon. Margret cannot make cheese on toast without using every single saucepan, wok, tureen and colander in the house...

Ring any bells, people?




posted by Mark 20:32

Wednesday, November 06, 2002

 
I feel strange, it's an unusual feeling.

I have backed Sunderland 3 times to win to no avail. Tonight they have returned to the English capital play against Arsenal a month after getting their arses whooped. I didn't have a bet tonight and was sort of resigned to the usual story when they went 2-0 down. Then they scored, then again and again a third time :o Sunderland are winning 3-2 with 10 minutes to go \o/ \o/

posted by Mark 21:32

Saturday, November 02, 2002

 
I cannot publish pics and photos on this page, thus my signing up for a Yahoo page. I was doing a bit of surfing earlier and found a pic which tickled me, If you are into online gaming click here.

posted by Mark 22:06

Thursday, October 31, 2002

 
Sometimes the best adult company is your own.

Highlight of the day was Junior being brought to my place of work so I could show him off to everybody :) He held my hand nicely as we walked around the office, said hello to everyone politely and smiled beautifully. Hell, I love that boy.

Other than that, F.A. to be cheerful about.

posted by Mark 20:52

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

 
There I was 10 minutes from the end of the Sunderland game, holding my £5 betting slip and hoping they could hold their 1-0 lead. Neither side had looked like scoring all night apart from the flash of inspiration which was Micael Gray just before half time. Then a foul throw just near the penalty area gives Bolton the throw in and it ends up glancing off Babb's head and into the net. I was gutted, absolutely gutted. After another bad prediction at the weekend, my betting account is back down to £15 :(



posted by Mark 17:34

Sunday, October 27, 2002

 
Another online game which I like to play now and again is Pictionary. There are numerous rooms dedicated to different topics such as songs and film titles etc. The server generates the word(s) that you have to draw and points are scored for guessing the answers and the number who guess your sketch. I actually won a round for the first time ever this week :) I would recomend a better spec'ed PC than mine [which is everyones :( ] as mine lags a bit sometimes.

It is shockwave based and good for a laugh, even if just to wonder how a picture represents THAT?

If you don't already have Shockwave software installed on your PC, then why not? Lucky for you all, I added a link to their homepage in the left links margin a while back ;)

posted by Mark 20:11

 
I hate it when my brain is active at night. I went to bed last night and was still laid there looking at the ceiling at 4:30 (5:30am BST) That was about 5 hours ago and I've been awake again for nearly an hour :(

The swimming bag is packed, we are both fed and dressed and it's time to go splashing again :)



posted by Mark 09:26

Saturday, October 26, 2002

 
I was awake at 8am this morning, feeling as fresh as a daisy :) Mind you, when I eventually realised it was Saturday and I was alone in the house I managed to roll over for another hour or so.

Apart from a load into the washing machine, I had an absolutely lazy morning just laid on the sofa watching TV and drinking coffee.

When Mummy and Junior came home after a trip into Douglas, I was shown the face paints that Junior was all excited about. Mummy painted his face first, then he painted hers and then mine. He was so gentle with the brush and sponge, his face fixed with a concentrating look. I sat there looking at our faces and praying the doorbell didn't ring :o

Bathtime then snuggling on the sofa passed the evening until it was bedtime. Tonight's book? Boots Baby Catalogue. Then he closed the book, laid on his tummy and asked me to rub his back so he could go to sleep :)



posted by Mark 22:27

Friday, October 25, 2002

 
Sudden Realisation #148

I need my oats (*insert frustrated expression here)

LOL


posted by Mark 20:57

 
I've just been catching up on the Forums and my "Comments" and I thought I should say...

Stav,
Meeting Mrs Stav has been an absolute pleasure. She fitted in like a true profesional and it would be quite right to be proud to know such a person. If I was asked for a reference, I would fail to credit her with words suitable for the opinion that I now hold her in and I envy you :) Give her a bloody BIG hug for me mate :)

(Just don't ask her about the comment that 'lit up' my eyes next to the photocopier today) Hee Hee :)

posted by Mark 20:51

 
POP!!! goes cork No. 2

:)

Sugar Baby Love - The Rubettes
All Night Long - Rainbow
Ray Of Light (remix) - Madonna
Beautiful Stranger (remix) - Madonna
Princes Of The Universe - Queen
Driven By You - Brian May
Poison - Alice Cooper
Modern Girl - Meatloaf
Design For Life - Manic Street Preachers
Sweet Child Of Mine - Guns & Roses
Paradise City - Guns & Roses
Hard To Handle - Black Crows
Born To Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
In These Arms (extended) - Bon Jovi
You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi

Do I really need to carry on......... ?

posted by Mark 20:24

 
It's Friday night and Junior is with Mummy.

I wanted to have a night out tonight, but Sod's Law said that it wasn't to be. Sooooo, I have MP3's queued up for the next 2 hours while more are coming in courtesy of WinMX. The pots are washed and the room is tidy and I've just opened my first bottle of wine :)

Winamp is feeding a Technics Class A amp (approx 15 years old) which in turn is feeding Mission 700's. Sod them poxy little 2" cube satelite speakers with Subwoofer and their "claimed" power ratings. Just because I have limited tastes in music doesn't mean that I don't like to listen to it "properly" :)



posted by Mark 19:52

Monday, October 21, 2002

 
I have decided that Diamond Mine isn't actually a half bad game. It is a game of observation and highly frustrating at times (especially when you use the hint button to escape a tight spot). Not one to play when you are suffering with sore eyes or a slight headache. Proof too that even if you have the latest video card and processor, there are still P166 compatable games that can hold your attention for an odd hour or two and are compact enough to pass on in emails.

The Shockwave Homepage also has a few funny animations in the AtomFilm section.

posted by Mark 19:53

Sunday, October 20, 2002

 
Oh, and I nearly missed out on winning a tenner on the Lottery.

I check my numbers online and circle them off if I have any. Last night I checked them and nothing, so I screwed up the ticket and binned it, then realised that the webpage was still showing Wednesday's numbers. Hurridly pulled the crumpled ticket out of the bin and smoothed it out, then checked again this morning trying to work around the numbers I'd marked last night. WooHoooooo \o/

posted by Mark 22:14

 
Things to do when you are bored #472...

Download a couple of 1 to 3 Mb games to play. Quick, easy and sometimes addictive. And most are child friendly :)

Elf Bowling - Naughty Elves went on strike, so Santa plays 10 Pin Elf bowling. (Advice: Take your time taking your goes)

Elfbowling 2 - Santa and the elves take a summer cruise and have a game of deck bowls.

Elf Bowling 3 - Soon to be released.

Frogapult - Help sweet and cute little frogs to jump onto target on their way home. Hey... No aiming for the Pyranas, Aligator or spikes ;)

Super Collapse - Click 3 or more adjacent squares of the same colour to remove them from the board. Hint: If you can leave one colour to build, you'll score more when you eventually do click them.

Diamond Mine - Very frustrating or Crap? I'm not sure. This is a new one for me, so I'm going persevere a few more times.

Slot Racing - Scalextric on your PC. Junior is a dab hand at building tracks and winning against the computer.



posted by Mark 21:49

Saturday, October 19, 2002

 
Looking back at the past week, it is incredible to me that I have only blogged once since last Sunday :o
Where the heck has the week gone?

At least tonight, I have spoken to a couple of friends on the phone and online, but now I only feel fit to fall into my bed.

Swimming pool in the morning :)

posted by Mark 22:27

 
Bad news... Sunderland lost 1-0 :(

Good news... Everton won 2-1 \o/ \o/

Why YAY? Because of my Ladbrokes account... I opened it with £20, lost £10 when Sunderland failed to beat Arsenal. I lost another fiver when Michael Owen failed to be the first goal scorer in one of the recent England games.

My last £5 nearly went on Sunderland to beat West Ham at odds of 6/5, but instead was on Everton to beat Arsenal at 4/1. (Actually crap odds when you think that when I backed Sunderland they were 11/1, and 16/1 on some sites. C'est la vie)

So although I was growling as I listened to the Sunderland game unfold, Arsenal scored first, I oooooo'ed as Everton equalised and cheered when I realised that Wayne Rooney (aged 16) was rapidly becoming my hero :)

My account now stands at the princely sum of £25 :) Not a lot, but £5 more than I started with and no bank account pays 25% interest in 15 days. Of course if Everton had drawn or lost, then I would be £20 down over 15 days, but as I said previously, never play with money you cannot afford to loose.


posted by Mark 19:06

 
Half time in the Sunderland v West Ham game and the Red & White are a goal to nil down *sighs

Not really a lot to report today. Junior was away last night, so I bought a chinese takeaway had a night infront of the telly. Even the Forums have failed to inspire me for the past few days.

Second half is about to kick off. Must dash ;)


posted by Mark 15:02

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

 


Solitude III

You ever seen me frown?
Or even heard me moan?
Do you see double standards?
Do I shout you down the Phone?

Do I take away the choices
That let you live your Life?
Do I cause you untold pain
With words sharp as a knife?

Do I live for making you feel like shít?
Do I screw up then curse your name?
Do I force you to a corner?
Do I sob and give you blame?

Do I change my mind with the turn of the wind?
Do You gain comfort from the calm?
Do I wait to catch you off your guard?
Do I think new ways to do you harm?

You ever seen me smile?
You ever seen a glint in my eye?
You ever heard me laugh out loud?

You ever wondered why?



posted by Mark 18:19

Sunday, October 13, 2002

 
Sunday... Woke to watch the F1 race, fell asleep again before lap 6 (second year in a row, D'ohhh)

Had a great time at the pool, Shame that the morning session comes to an end at 12, we could have happily stayed in a lot longer.

Called in to see Juniors first childminder on the way home. She's a lovely woman. She has a boy of her own a year older than Junior, so they used to play together there and later at Junior's playgroup. He's at school now, so was nice to call in and see them together again. Message to Ariel: She says "Hi" to you too and hopes you and 'W' are well :)

Called off for a couple of bits and pieces from Bray Hill Garage. Junior asked me if he could have a sausage roll. No probs as I was going to do a quick lunch and a big dinner for later in the day. Before I could ask the assistant, he chirped up "Excuse me please... May I have a sausage roll please.... That one". "Surplus to requirements, these days" I thought to myself ;) He wanted to eat it in the car, but I said he had to hold it until we got home. I saw him from the corner of my eye tugging off small bits, even though when I looked at him, his mouth was stationary apart from an innocent smile :)

We shared a bath tonight, then downstairs with his duvet to have a cuddle on the sofa while he had his milk and biscuits. A read of "Barney" at bedtime, then down to finish off his roast Pork dinner for tomorrow.

I watched Gladiator tonight for the first time. A film that I have been meaning to watch for ages. It didn't disappoint. An epic of a film and worth every minute.


posted by Mark 22:52

Saturday, October 12, 2002

 


I'm sitting here, eating Cocoa Pops and listening to some soothing music. Ahhhhhh :)

One of the songs in tonights list is "Annies Song" by John Denver. Did you know that tomorrow (Sunday 13th October) is the fifth anniversary of his tragic death when the plane he was flying crashed near Monterey Bay on the coast of California.

Had a goosepimpley moment at Juniors bed time. We were laying on my bed together just having finished reading a book. I looked at him and his eyes were heavy. I said "When you were a baby, I used to do this and you always fell asleep". I ran a finger gentley across his forehead and down the bridge of his nose. Then again and this time with two fingers slightly to the sides so that the tips of my fingers gentley brushed his eyelashes and they closed. "Is that nice?" I asked. He opened one eye wearily, smiled and closed it again :)

England won their opening qualifier for Euro 2004. The players must have really loved playing on a pitch that looked as if the local rugby team had just finished their game. I've seen ploughed fields that were firmer under foot.

It's the last race of the Formula 1 season tomorrow. Suzuka, in Japan. That means I'll be going to bed tonight with my alarm clock set for 5:45am. It looks as if McNish will be ok to drive after his "little bump".

After the race I'll try and grab another hour of sleep before Junior wakes up and reminds me it's SUUUUUUNNNNNDAY!!!! and the swimming pool awaits :)

posted by Mark 22:01

Friday, October 11, 2002

 
Met Stavros for the first time in a pub at lunchtime. You know how you have a picture in your mind of how a person is going to look, act and talk when you finally encounter them in real life. Online, Stav (as we friends call him) occasionally comes across as a greasy, hairy kebab seller with a greek accent. Imagine my amazement when I heard a "Mark ?" and turned round to see a greasy, hairy kebab seller with a Greek accent standing infront of me :o

Anyway, undetered by his ordering of a yard of ale and a kebab (??) we sat, ate and chatted about the Forums, work and life and he really is a nice guy under that chilie stained apron ;)

We'll have to do it again sometime when there isn't the rush to get back to work :) We even discussed how nice it would be to grab a few more friends and have a polite evening meal some time, maybe in the run up to Christmas. Who knows? I'm up for it.

I have a couple of house calls to make tonight. Junior is with Mummy and I've been promising to go visit a friend in their new house with a view to help with a few odd jobs. Before that I'm going to call round at my "partner in crime" from works house to sort out a little problem with his PC. Oh to be popular and in demand :)



posted by Mark 18:20

Wednesday, October 09, 2002

 
Is Winter finally knockin on the door? I hope not, I like walking the mile or so to work. With the exeption of 5 minutes drizzle one morning, I haven't got wet once since I started this job back in August :)

There was a card through my door yesterday, a recorded delivery parcel could be collected from the sorting office ??? I went to collect it after work tonight and it was a 35 year and a month birthday card from the sweet Iman in London :) In the package were three little pyramids (Iman is Egyptian) each one a couple of inches high, with engravings on the sides. They are beautiful :) When Junior saw them, he said "WOW!! Pharoh lives in there..." (I knew watching Joseph so many times would be beneficial in some way) Iman's like a little online sister to me as well as being a great online friend. If you're reading this get off the PC and get back to your studies NOW!! ;)

Works going well, I managed to sort my way through a pile of outstanding stuff and clear a few minor hiccups that we'd had with bits and pieces.

Just turned the radio on and Will and Gareth are singing... Turned it off again now... Darn, I'm going to bed soon and I know that song will be on my mind now as I try and sleep. I'll wait a few minutes until it is safe, then try again. I hate it when I get out of the car etc and the last song I hear is stuck with me for the day. You know the ones that for no apparent reason you are whisting or singing to yourself later in the day, and you hate the song? I have often sat in the car waiting for a decent song to come on just so I can sing along and get the rubbish out of my mind.

Night night all :)

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! "Lionel Ritchie" *sobs.


posted by Mark 22:50

Monday, October 07, 2002

 
Just football tonight.

Been watching bits of the Man Utd vs Everton game, after 85 minutes, 0-0. I popped upstaris for a couple of minutes, came back down and it was 3-0 :o Everton played well as far as I could see and what on earth happened in the last 5 minutes? i just don't know.

Big footie news for me came during the opening of You're On SkySports. Reidy has gone from Sunderland. I liked Reidy, he had the passion and the fighting spirit, both as a player and as a manager. For some reason it wasn't there in the players. Whether a new manager will get things going again or the problems will continue, only time will tell.



posted by Mark 22:12

Sunday, October 06, 2002

 
Thanks to Bambi for this email...

Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems, as submitted by QUANTAS' pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers.

By the way Quanta's is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

P = The problem logged by the pilot.
S = The solution and action taken by the engineers.

________________________________________

P: Left inside main tyre almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tyre.

P: Test flight OK, except autoland very rough.
S: Autoland not installed on this aircraft.

P: No. 2 propeller seeping prop fluid.
S: No. 2 propeller seepage normal. Nos. 1, 3 and 4 propellers lack normal seepage.........

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on backorder.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-fpm descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for!

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with words.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed

posted by Mark 21:10

 
Has been a quiet weekend. Wrote a few letters to familly across and slipped in a couple of photos of Junior, then did a bit of surfing and reading last night. Junior was with his mummy so I was able to consume a few tinnies and sleep off the effects this morning :)

Football match went badly (again) 2-0 down inside 10 minutes and conceeded a third before half time. Sorrensson, the goalkeeper went to make a save as an Arsenal player was coming forward and he landed badly dislocating his elbow. OUCH!!! Second half, the team played better and more agresively, but then Arsenal didn't need to work and were happy to pass the ball around and keep posesion. Jody Craddock (mentioned in earlier blog) scored a consolation goal and When Niall Quin, a former Gunner came on as a sub, he received a standing ovation from the Arsenal fans, That was nice to see :)

Junior came home, ate and fell asleep. but woke after 7 to play for a couple of hours until I was able to convince him it was bedtime.

And that's been it really. Sweet short and simple, Just like me, I guess ;)

posted by Mark 20:56

Friday, October 04, 2002

 
I thinked I've sussed this page viewing thing. All I need to do is enter into my text popular search words such as sex, xxx, and porn and I should see an increase on page views, whether they return a second time is another matter ;)

It happened today for the first time, at work the day didn't fly past, I actually found myself looking at the clock wondering how long until it was time to go home. For some reason I sped through my work today and whereas usually I have to rush to finish off before running to catch my bus, today I was racking my brains to finish off the day with.

Met up with a friend for a lunchtime drink (Hiya Blakey) and had a good natter about work, life in general and what the future may hold.

Stav, I'll sort out a lunchtime next week for a drink if you still want to meet up. From your email, it sounds like you work in a handy place but I can beat it and you were close in your choice of watering holes ;)

I'm not a cricket fan, but "Power Cricket" was on the telly behind me as I typed tonight and I couldn't help but turn to watch bits of it. Playing indoors (Millenium Stadium in Wales) and basing boundary scores on where the ball lands in the tiered seating (as the spectators duck) or hitting the closed roof (93 metres high) certainally increased the scoring options and interest value.



posted by Mark 21:42

Thursday, October 03, 2002

 
Playing on the PC, listening to Manx Radio, drinking coffee, eating mini chockie rolls and devouring a packet of Bensons..... Happiness :)

Junior had a hair cut today, he was telling me all about his day, then wandered off and all of a sudden, his face as he turned and pointed to his head :)

Having been refused an account with Betinternet I have signed up with Ladbrokes. Cross your fingers for me on Sunday, I have backed Sunderland to beat Arsenal at 11/1 and yes, I obeyed my own rule about not gambling more than I can afford to loose. Not that money is flowing freely at the moment, but I just had notice that my mortgage repayments are going down, so this is instead of buying a couple of cheap bottles of wine to celebrate.

I gave in to curiosity and signed up for a page counter. It came as no surprise that I get a few readers following the link in my signature on the forum. The one that had me stumped was how this page was listed third in a google search for "pennsylvania drivers point system " *insert astounded expression.



posted by Mark 22:18

 
Just a quickie before I go to work (Mmmmmm, memories) *snaps out of it ;)

Last night I suddenly felt strange, all quivery and light headed. I hope I'm not coming down with flu. I do feel better for the bath and early night :)



posted by Mark 07:06

Wednesday, October 02, 2002

 
I'm not ill, but I aint well either. Me thinks hot bath and bed.

posted by Mark 20:43

Tuesday, October 01, 2002

 
I must admit that I prefer the way the blog layout is now. To me it makes life easier and I hope it meets with approval :)

posted by Mark 20:59

 
Cambridge Utd 0 Sunderland 7 Look out Arsenal (Live on Premiership Plus on Sunday)

Remember my references to Draglamps on Energy FM? I said I'd give them another mention when their website was up. There's the songs that were aired on the radio and a few others, all for free download. Good luck to them for the future :)

Otherwise a totally "ordinary" day. There are very few things that I would choose to change about my life, but when thinking about stuff to share from it, it's... well... Hmmmm....



posted by Mark 20:52

 
...this "should" be under the post from 5 minutes ago

posted by Mark 18:36

 
I've changed one of the blog settings. Now each new days blogs will still appear at the top of the page, but if I make 2 or more blogs, they will run chronologically within that day. For example...

posted by Mark 18:31

Monday, September 30, 2002

 
Slept in this morning (9:05), then found the car battery was flat. Got off the bus coming home then realised I'd parked my car closer to work to save time in the morning. Wrote a long blog in Word, then highlighted it to copy it across and clicked "paste" ...all gone... Otherwise has been a good day :/

The CEO of Isle of Man International Broadcasting reads the forums. After my post last night about the proposed antenea he wrote me an email outlining some of his companies versions of facts. I copied it across to the forum as I believe it is in the public interest.

My blog was so long, so witty and interesting, I cannot do it justice by trying to rewrite it, so I wont :/ Grrrrrrrr @ me

posted by Mark 21:26

Sunday, September 29, 2002

 
I love Sundays (as a rule).

Today? Up for our weekly trip to the NSC Swimming Pool. One minor problem, I only had a couple of pound in change, so had to pay my £4.60 enterance by cheque :o Luckily I did have enough on me for the locker. Once in, the 90 minutes passed way too quickly, we were up and down the slides, back and forth across the big pool on and off the provided floating mats etc. Pushed round and round and under the bridge in the far fun pool by the underwater jets , and generally going silly in the shallow fun pool :) Oh, and there was time to do some proper swimming learning during the session ;)

One thing I have yet to do, is to convince Junior to have a go down the faster of the two slides. Children under a metre in height are supposed to go down the "red" slide on a 'responsible' (D'ohhh) adult's lap, and therefore until he was 3 years old and tall enough, he wasn't able to go down the "green" slide. Now that he is big enough, he is brainwashed into thinking that he is too small (My legs are too short, he says) and no ammount of persuasion will change his mind. As his father, I would have been happy to let him go on the green slide ages ago, but I respected the pools rules over my knowledge of my sons capabilities.

Maybe I need to carry him up and when there is space, hurl him into the pipe before he has a chance to realise what I am doing... Nooooo, even I'm not 'that' cruel ;)

We were up the Scollag Road today in the car, after avoiding a family picking wild flowers from the embankment (round a blind bend and where the road is barely wide enough for 2 cars to scrape past each other) I pulled tight to the side as I saw a horse and trap approaching. The horse came forward and I recognised the driver and his wife. He stopped alongside me for a little chat and I let Junior out of his seat to stand on my lap and lean out of my window to see the horse more clearly. An oncoming car behind the trap stopped and must have thought we were taking the mickey with our conversation ;) I waved to aknowledge his presence and Junior sat back down. After making sure he was strapped back in we waited for the horse to move away and edged forward.

I waved again to the oncoming car to thank him for his patience and he didn't seem too annoyed, but then again, this is the countryside on an Island and it was a luvely Sunday afternoon, so I didn't care :p

Junior went to the beach in Douglas with Mummy while I had some time at home this afternoon, came home without trousers, from paddling too deep :) snad all over himself and his backside as black as coal. A while back, one of his ways to amuse himself on one occasion was to paint his bike seat with black paint. I had forgotten about that until today when he came home after a good "bottom half naked" ride along the Prom. My fault entirely, I thought as I stiffled a laugh.

He had a bath last night, a swim this morning, a paddle this afternoon, and another bath at tea time... I said he likes water :) Bedtime was simple, he was more or less telling me it was time to go up.

Watched the F1 race (nice finish lads, Whooops :Þ ) and wrote a little piece about the proposed CFA transmitter off the Ramsey coast on the Forum. Now I think sleep beckons me as I am sure it does those who read the post ;)



posted by Mark 22:55

Saturday, September 28, 2002

 
\o/ \o/ \o/

Champagne corks are popping in Sunderland tonight :) Wooohooooooo...

\o/ \o/ \o/


Edited to add> After such a poor run in form, I wonder what odds I can get for them beating Arsenal and ending the soft southern jessie's record breaking run next Sunday? Someone has to do it, Hmmmmmmm

posted by Mark 15:59

 
Saturday....... Sunderland v Aston Villa. Time for the team in red and white to show the pride and fighting spirit that wearing the shirt demands. Will the fans be smiling at 5pm?

One point to mention, Today may see the return of defender Jody Craddock. On the weekend that football grounds were holding a minutes silence following the deaths of Holly & Jessica, Sunderland fans were also laying flowers after the death of Jody's 4 month old son Jake. Jody is loved at the club, and the tradgic news hit all the fans hard. Good to see that he feels ready to return.

Junior is at a birthday party this afternoon. Getting him there is fine, but pick-up time clashes with kick off for the second half of the game. I wish parents would plan their children's parties better ;)

posted by Mark 12:21

Friday, September 27, 2002

 
Best British Blog Competition

The winner has been announced, and £1,000 of prize money is winging it's way to the creater of Scarey Duck.

The list of the top 30 blogs is here And Rip's Ramble is nowhere to be seen :(



posted by Mark 17:29

Thursday, September 26, 2002

 
One of the many ideas behind bloging is to share links to favourite and noteworthy sites that you come across as you surf. Here's a few I found tonight. I don't think I'll be adding them to my Favourites tho' ;)

2 Socks

Top Tunes

Introducing the iToilet

Gingerbread Menace




posted by Mark 20:27

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

 
I popped out for an hour tonight to the ManxNet LAN night in Douglas, Looked like a good turn out and all were doing their best to blow each other to bits :) Big wave to you guys and lady.

I was offered a play by a couple but politely declined due the wish to avoid total embarassment ;)

Best moment in a good humoured evening,was while chatting to MBX who had been the butt of the joking as to his 'low spec' PC not being good enough to play one game. Not only did he find he could play, but he kicked some serious arse, Played mate :)

Maybe one day when I can afford a decent PC upgrade I'll pluck up the courage to have a go myself. Then teach them all the sweet art of fragging :) For tonight I was happy to watch.

It's nice to put faces to names (the main reason for going) Surprise of the night was Southerner, deff looked older than I imagined :Þ Joking, joking ;)

Work today was busy, Initiative has been the keyword this week. Have been given a licence to sort out some high value orders without running back and forth asking this and asking that.... Remember my earlier comment about "thank goodness it isn't my money? LOL

A link that you may or may not like depending on your PSR (Personal Sadness Rating) is here. I am not going to even try and describe it.




posted by Mark 21:22

Monday, September 23, 2002

 
I was going to go to bed at 10pm tonight but a bottle of "Deliciously fruity and floral" french white wine caught my eye and who was I to argue? *hic. As a direct result, I've written a couple of response provoking posts on the forums lol

I wrote a sombre email tonight to someone who means a lot to me, if you are reading this, you know who you are and I hope that my reply to your email raised a smile even if it was just a corner of your mouth xxx

I'm having trouble balancing on my seat, so I'm gonna crawl upstairs. I uploaded the BeeGee's version of Ellan Vannin to my Yahoo page earlier tonite. If you want it, help yourself BUT bear in mind that it was released as a charity boosting single, If you grab a copy, think about throwing a bit of spare change in the next "tin" you see as compensation.

sweet dreams xx

*gone*

posted by Mark 22:48

 
A quick one while Junior finishes his cup of milk...

I like emails, I love emails, I'd probably shrivel up and die if it wasn't for emails.... One little fact tho'...

I only have a 56k modem!!!!

5.5MegaFirkinByte attatchments might be funny to watch *once they arrive* but sitting around waiting for the blue receive line to meander it's way to the top aint my way of spending a pleasent Monday evening. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

All I can say is, it's a good job my PC was online all day and it was waiting for me when I got home ;) Cheers Stav, i did enjoy :)

posted by Mark 19:01

Sunday, September 22, 2002

 
Junior woke briefly then went straight back to sleep which meant I had time to finish scanning and compressing some more photos and a couple of cartoons that I received in Emails. They are now uploaded. And yes, there are two photos of me in there :o



posted by Mark 22:39

 
The house to myself for the weekend and have I been out boogying? Have I been getting drunk and partying with loose women? Nope :(

For some reason I felt the urge to make the most of the peace and quiet and have been tidying the house big style and doing a few jobs that I've been putting off far a while. Finished it all in time to settle down and watch the second half of Villa v Everton, much more entertaining than the game I watched yesterday.

By the time full time was approaching, Junior was bursting through the door shouting "Daddyyyyyy, I'm hooooooome" :) He promptly threw himself on my lap for big hugs :) We chatted about all the things that he'd been up to (park, swimming etc.) He'd had a great time :) Tired out as he was, he asked if we could go to Manxland in the Summerland complex, and I thought "Why not?" We've had an hour there playing on all the bits and pieces and now we are home again. We've had a bite to eat and Junior has flaked out on the sofa.

While I was straightening the book shelves, I found my favourite photo, I'd taken it from the album to scan into the PC but never actually got round to it. Deff a job for when it's quiet this evening. It is one of only two pictures that I am in and I dont mind (I hate seeing myself on photos). I'll upload it too, cos it is one that I'd happily share :)

Right, I'm going to carry this little man upstairs and tuck him up for the night.



posted by Mark 18:25

Saturday, September 21, 2002

 
Newcastle 2 Sunderland 0
I cannot recall seeing a game so disapointing. I'll leave it to the Manager Peter Reid,



posted by Mark 19:48

 
Good Morning :)

Just before the game starts, Thanks Ariel for checking the Yahoo Pages for me. Last night I was having a few problems gaining access and messing with settings. As far as I know, access to the pages I wanted is now open to all. I've uploaded a couple of files and 11 photos. I have adjusted the settings so that non-Yahoo members can access the pages too Feel free to have a look :)

A new link is also now added on the left hand column.

Big wave today goes to Junior and his Mummy and S :) What could have gone a different way appears to be working nicely and I'm proud of all the positive things that we all have and the way we are are going forward in life. I love you xxx

Right, time to get comfy on the sofa and turn on the telly.


posted by Mark 10:53

 
I've been busy tonight trying to create a page over at Yahoo Groups. If anyone is still reading this blog and has a Yahoo account can they have a look and tell me if it is working please?

According to the countdown, this should be ONE DAY TO GO... but seeing as the midnight hour has passed, the day is actually today. If you have no interest in football, then I'm sorry but you are about to be severely disapointed because later today Sunderland travel to Newcastle to play in the first of the season's Tyne-Wear derbys.

Liverpool and Everton? Man Utd and City? Aston Villa and Birmingham? This is nothing compared to the passion of the supporters in the North East of England. When Suderland were promoted back into the Premiership a few years back the powers that be banned away fans from the other's ground. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters will not speak, drink or sit within spitting distance of each other if they wear opposing shirts. As far as the fans are concerned, this isn't just a football match, this is 90 minutes representing centuries of hatred, jealousy and general feelings of ill-will. In the middle of all this, two managers and 22 players have to walk out of the changing rooms and pray that they all have still have jobs come Monday morning.



posted by Mark 01:49

Friday, September 20, 2002

 

Untitled

As you were going away from me
The sun was in my eye
I rubbed, I squinted, turned away
Hell no... I didn't cry

The room is quiet way too soon
The sun's still shining bright
The curtains open, windows wide
Still h'rs til it is night

At 8 o'clock it should be fun
Pyjamas, biscuits, milk
Feet hiding from approaching socks
Hugs on a face like silk

Fairy tales of days of yore
Then head down for the night
One more kiss, and close the door
A smile as off goes the light

That is when the peace should start
Not now while it's still day
Oh how that sun did hurt my eyes
As you were going away

(c) Ripsaw



posted by Mark 17:40

Thursday, September 19, 2002

 
2 days to D-Day, and I have stumps where once there were fingers.....


Wonderful Daddy-Son moment #6,375 (ish)

Tonights bedtime book was an alphabet book. It's an old one that we've had out on numerous occassions in the past. Big bold colourful letters that are doors in the page with pictures behind. We take it in turns to draw each letter with our finger and say the letter and all the things we can see on the page which start with that letter. Junior has always had a problem pronouncing his his F's and V's. Think about the number of combinations of shapes that your tongue, lips and throat make to say the alphabet. Whereas most letter sounds require opening or forward movements of the lips, F and V require a slight pull inwards of the bottom lip to touch the bottom of the top row of teeth before the sound can be made... Simple eh? Anyway, as I was saying, F and V have always been troublesome. Tonight, we blew first, then we played mouth shapes then I held his bottom lip as he made the sound. Usually he bores quickly and turns the page of thinks of a way to move on to something different. Tonight he was happy enough to do it, then again and again
"h, h.....f.... f.... ffffff, ffffffish ... I said it"
"No you didn't"
Yes I did, I said fffffffish"
"I didn't hear you"
"FFFFISH!!!"

Big kisses and cuddles ensued :) Then I moved on to 'G' ;)



posted by Mark 20:54

Wednesday, September 18, 2002

 
3 days to D-Day, my fingernails cannot take much more......


Found this Bee Gees' Lyrics site tonight, Pasted the words to two of my favourite songs...
My Life Has Been A Song.

Sweet simple song of diff'rent lights and diff'rent shades
The sound of life erupts and fades and all the world must play along
My life has been a song

Here as I sleep, the love I dream will gently creep
Inside my heart I softly keep the tune that plays too long
My life has been a song

Ev'ry sound in my head, ev'ry word that I said is like a melody melody
That no little person like me could ever change
Ev'ry sound in the street , all the cold and the heat
is like a symphony symphony
Which has never before been rearranged

Sweet simple song of diff'rent lights and diff'rent shades
The sound of life erupts and fades and all the world must play along
My life has been a song

Ev'ry sound in my head , ev'ry word that I said is like a melody melody
That no little person like me could ever change
Ev'ry sound in the street , all the cold and the heat
is like a symphony symphony
Which has never before been rearranged

Sweet simple song of diff'rent lights and diff'rent shades
The sound of life erupts and fades and all the world must play along
My life has been a song

Ev'ry sound in my head , ev'ry word that I said is like a melody melody
That no little person like me could ever change
Ev'ry sound in the street , all the cold and the heat
is like a symphony symphony
Which has never before been rearranged

* * * * * * * * * *

I Started A Joke.

I started a joke, which started the whole world crying,
but I didn't see that the joke was on me, oh no.

I started to cry, which started the whole world laughing,
oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me.

I looked at the skies, running my hands over my eyes,
and I fell out of bed, hurting my head from things that I'd said.

Til I finally died, which started the whole world living,
oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me.

I looked at the skies, running my hands over my eyes,
and I fell out of bed, hurting my head from things that I'd said.

'Til I finally died, which started the whole world living,
oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was one me, that the joke was on me...

* * * * * * * * * *



I've only ever written two pieces myself - on the Forum, of course ;)

Solitude and Solitude ll

I think that I am strange in the fact that I rarely feel down with life, there is so much that is good about it :) I was in a good mood on both occassions that the above were penned :)


posted by Mark 21:47