...And just to be really obnoxious...
Now Playing: ...and you will know us by the trail of dead - So Divided
Topic: Stephen Says
I've just wrapped up my Christmas shopping and writing all my Christmas cards. When I get around to posting them, on the other hand, is another matter...

Still touching base
Not much blogging / not much going on, really. I, for one, have been counting down the days 'till annual leave. And low and behold it's here and what have I done? Gotten up at the usual time. Elisabth is sleeping in, thank God.

Last night she decided that we should open the bottle of champaign that our new eco-energy provider gave us for switching over to them to celebrate 7 days of slack. I supported her in this.

bleah. nothing else to say, really. We're going to take it easy today and then I'm off to London to get neurotic with Neurosis.

Exciting news that my excite other people and not just myself may be forthcoming.

Toucing Base 2
Now Playing: Nomeansno - Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie
Topic: Stephen Says
I'm feeling pretty fulfilled today. Just got back from the Woking Mental Health Fair where we had the best display and, to be honest, if I may toot me & my collegues horns, were the most professional there. It was fun being corporate and networking and actually knowing a lot of the people at other stands nd knowing what I'm talking about even.

Wow. Working a steady job means that you network and know stuff.
Who'da guessed.

I feel very professional and managerial right now.
I also refrained from sticking a box on my head this year.
(Maturity!)
I might pop a picture up later if I get around to it.
(Though I probably won't.)

Excuse me now while I enjoy a glass of wine in out new decanter.
(Makes cheap wine taste less cheap.)
(Got it for 3.50 at a charity shop marked down from 7.50.)
(Which means it would probably retail for about 750 pounds.)
(But would be marked down to 350 pounds at a Debenham's blue cross sale.)

Okay, I really must go. I'm feeling full of myself so I shall go and irritate my wife and not you, gentle reader.

Woke up, got out of bed...
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: BBC4

Touching base:

On Monday Stephen came home from a sleep in and made a swede/potatoe cassarole & roasted parsnips. Yum. He had the day off on Tues. and bought a new CD/DVD rack, and today he's participating in a mental health exhibition in Woking, representing his charity.

Monday I had a driving lesson, Tues I worked and went to the YMCA, and today I'm working and a friend's coming over to play music with me.

Must go now.

Wishing all a good day.

Funky Time
Mood:  cool
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yesterday I saw Dennis Rollins and the Bad Bones at Jazz Cafe with a friend from the Y.

Dennis Rollins

I had such a funky time..they were amazing...had a really positive vibe. I felt as happy as when dancing in mid-summer at tam tams. Sadly, the crowd was a bit stiff so there wasn't much dancing last night. But it gave me a chance to stare at the man-god playing the trumpet...wha-woo-wee-woo!

Anyway, must make my way to work...

Some Advice
Topic: Stephen Says
Never, never bite into a raw potato to prove your point.

(There's a reason why people cook potatos before we eat them.)

Soooooo,..
Now Playing: Rough Trade Indiepop vol.1
Topic: Stephen Says
Life is getting a little more back on track as I've had time to relax and Elisabeth has had time to have fun. We saw the Borat movie last night which actually is as funny as everyone makes it out to be. For the first time ever, we weren't the only people in the audience laughing and, in a weird twist of fate, we actually managed to randomly sit down in our assigned seats.

We hit our favorite Italian restaurant afterwards only to discover that they'd changed their menu and we couldn't get our deep-fried cheese any more. On the plus side, they were out of our favorite bottle of wine (Nero d'Avolo) and the host graciously gave us a better bottle of wine for the same price.

Anyway, off to do some shopping today and get all those vital little things that we've needed to buy over the last 2 weeks but haven't.

In the news this week, many of you may have heard that America has managed to start pulling its head out of its ass and has decided that it wants to try and regain some semblance of being a democracy again (As opposed to the neo-feudalist theocracy that it's been pushing over the last 6+ years). Anyway, if any of you mistakingly thought that this was a good thing, I encourage you to read Ted Rall's latest article so that you can get depressed all over again.

And finally, in the Look-at-Stephen-Snickering-into-his-Sleeve Dept., 46% of evangelicals think Clinton was as good a Christian, or better, than Bush.

Alrighty, I'm off to make breakfast and be a productive memeber of society. Wish me luck!

Finally Friday
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

It's Friday morning. I've eaten a bowl of cereal, Stephen's still in bed. It's quarter to 8. I am feeling so unenergetic right now. It's either the box of Lindor chocolates I've been polishing off, or the fact that I'm tired and frustrated. Probably just a combination.

I feel some relief that the democrats swept up the the mid-term election. Even if they let us down, it's the prinicple at stake that counts. They are the lesser evil.

Stephen's not working today or tomorrow, so we'll finally have some time to chill out together.

That's about all I can muster.

L8R

Bleah
Topic: Stephen Says
I spent too many hours at the local hospital (St. Peter's) this evening. Amongst the people I saw come through:

- A fellow who looked like someone had taken a tire iron to his face - he was split open from forehead to chin and spouting/ drenched in the kind of blood that they never show in movies - a combination of bright red, maroon and black.

- Another guy wiped out on his motorcycle and dislocated his shoulder and bunged up his neck but got dischaged relatively easily.

- A middle-aged Asian man who had a mild epileptic fit (I mean seizure. Damn you heartless British terminology!) who got rushed to the hospital thanks to some over-anxious neighbours. 20 members of his immediate family showed up and it was all a bit of a joke.

There are too many elderly peope in hospitals which is depressing. What's also depressing is that I got fucked over by the crisis response team tonight and had to deal with things that were out of my remit. Ah well, as was said to me by my manager, "You've done what you did because you have a heart. If you stop doing what you're doing, you won't have a soul." Or something to that extent.

Being a good wife, Elisabeth bought me some booze to help unwind after what has probably been my most stressful day yet. Being attacked, threatened and bathing in poo & pee has nothing on how I feel today, though that's not to say that one or more of those things didn't happen.

It's weird how my brain now just goes into 'deal with it' mode and no matter how much I might want to avoid dealing with things because their so dreadful. When push comes to shove, my mind just shrugs and says 'well, you've got to deal with it so rock'n roll.' And I don't feel tense or stressed and I just do it.

The stress comes later.

Excited
Topic: Stephen Says
Elisabeth wanted to post this entry but she also wanted to read the paper and, since the news (Even if it's yesterday's news) takes precidence, I'm once again monopolizing the blog stuff.

So what news is there? Well;

1) At the end on the month we're going to see Michael Palin read from and talk about his new book on the Monty Python era. Yep, that means that we'll have seen two of the Python's in person now.

2) We've booked tickets to see Colin Towns and the NDR Big Band: Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (and Funny Smells) + It's Later Than You Think featuring Norma Winstone which is super-exciting too. It's a part of the London Jazz Festival and is basically jazzy big band renditions of Zappa songs.

3) Finally, E wanted to post this picture of me at the Enterprise pub in Camden last night. God knows why - I look like a twat and, truth be told, am opposed to the posting of this picture in general:

Right, I've done my good deed; I'm off to bed.