Mixed Fortunes

21:48:45, 18-02-2010

I saw The Wolfman last night at my local Vue cinema. Things started badly as a couple, who seemed to be on their first date, began chatting away loudly directly behind me. Fortunately, my friend Steve eventually told them in no uncertain terms to shut up, which thankfully they did. As we left the cinema, we were each handed a free ticket to see a future movie, as an apology for the fire drill that may have interfered with our viewing pleasure, had we not been entirely oblivious to it. Maybe we'd have heard it, if not for the annoying pair in the row behind!

Though not cursed with lycanthropy, I am definitely a creature of the night. I am always most awake during the hours of darkness. It regularly takes me hours to get settled, switch off and finally go to sleep at night, yet when it's time to get up for work, there is no place more comfortable in all the world than snuggled beneath the duvet in my bed.

Three Wise Men

18:56:38, 03-02-2010

My late selection of Christmas gifts wasn't a complete wash out. With newly acquired gift voucher in hand, I spent today's lunchbreak in WHSmith, rummaging through DVDs in search of a few bargains. Though the prices were good, the selection was not. Eventually I came away with the festive threesome of Bruce Willis, Will Smith and the somewhat less famous, Doug Jones; starring in Die Hard 4.0, I Robot and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I Robot was actually a late substitute for The Other Boleyn Girl, starring gifted young beauties Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Though the store had many display cases for the latter movie, it had no discs left in stock! Still, I'm happy with my random action trilogy and shall enjoy having new movies to watch at home for the first time in six months.

A Winter Chill

20:36:21, 02-02-2010

I've had a cold for the past few days. It started to take hold last Wednesday and was worst over the weekend, while I was staying with my parents. It's not been too bad as colds go. My head's been bunged up, but I've not really had any problems with my nose or throat. Mostly I've just been even more tired than usual, which I did my best to remedy by staying in bed and sleeping lots. While visiting my parents, I collected a bunch of random Christmas presents from my siblings, many of which I have since given away. For the most part, this is because they would have clashed with my diet, which is still going strong after a full month without treats!

Running Man

18:47:30, 21-01-2010

This week, after months of walking around in holey boots and disintegrating trainers, I finally managed to coordinate having the money, enthusiasm and opportunity to buy some new footwear. I've been wearing my lovely new Salomon trainers for two days now and am very happy with them. Made in part from the wonderful material that is Gore-Tex, they are tough, lightweight and waterproof. They even look good!

I feel I may actually have to start running again...

A Bright Hue at the Vue

17:47:32, 20-01-2010

"The future's bright - the future's Orange" was the long running slogan of mobile network operator Orange UK. Well it's certainly bright at the cinema, thanks to one of the best promotions going, Orange Wednesdays, which has been offering "2 for 1" cinema tickets for Orange members since 2003. As my regular movie going buddy Steve is an Orange member, we invariably schedule cinema visits to coincide with a cut-price midweek screening. To sweeten the deal even further, Reading's ten-screen Vue cinema is a mere five-minute walk from my front door! There are no prizes for guessing where I'll be found this evening.

Slippery When Wet

18:44:01, 13-01-2010

If current forecasts are to be believed, the recent cold spell has come to an end. Though we've seen little fresh snow in the past week, the ongoing freezing temperatures have prevented a widespread thaw, with the degradation to ice and slush being a long painful process. This is expected to end soon, with warmer days and heavy rain set to clear our highways and byways, though for how long is anyone's guess.

In a last act of defiance, the heavens opened once more to leave a fresh veil of snow across town this morning. Coming to a crossroads on my way to work, the little green man gleefully invited me to cross the road. Fortunately, my spidy senses alerted me to the car approaching from behind, which I wasn't convinced would stop in time for the junction. Sure enough, as the driver applied his breaks, his car happily slid its full length and more beyond the white line. Any lesser mortal in my position may well have become a new hood ornament!

Sugar Free and Extra Cool

17:49:29, 07-01-2010

Back in November, I decided that trying to diet before or during Christmas was a complete waste of time; not to mention, no fun at all! My November resolution was therefore to start dieting again after the holidays, as is indeed the plan most years. So far I've been sugar free for one week and have had no real cravings for treats. This is good news, as I'm broke! I was informed today that my pay, which was already delayed while our office closed for the holidays, will not be arriving in my account on schedule. This has been caused by recent heavy snowfall preventing most of our staff from reaching the office. The cold weather is not expected to ease off any time soon. In addition to delaying my wages, chaos on the roads has prevented deliveries to stores and prompted some customers to panic buying, resulting in a major shortage of basic supplies such as bread and milk. For lunch I had plain cream crackers with a packet of crisps and for this evening's meal I've just had crumpets with marmite. Such extravagance!

I truly love the snow, but I wish it didn't come with so many unwelcome side-effects!

A Frosty Morning

06:20:06, 04-01-2010

It's several degrees below freezing outside and not a great deal warmer indoors. I love it!

I've added the latest weather observations to my site, courtesy of the BBC, so that visitors can get a feel for what's happening locally. Hurrah for free automated content!

Hibernation Mode

04:13:01, 04-01-2010

I have just dragged myself out of bed after a 36-hour snooze! Such is the peril of a cozy bed when you've got nothing much worth getting up for!

Today is my first day back at work however, so I'm munching down a hastily microwaved cheese & onion pasty, with a packet of crisps and a nice cup of tea, to give me the energy to make it through the long restorative ritual of shower, shave and so forth. By the time I hit the office at 7am, I may just be awake and presentable.

New Year, New Website

02:34:43, 02-01-2010

Welcome to my new look site and my first proper update in two and a half years! As if I didn't have enough trouble posting updates already, I've now split the site into three areas, covering local activities, global events and my interests in the virtual worlds of games and movies. I suspect the latter section will get the most updates, but I'll try to post elsewhere from time to time. I shall be making further changes to the site as and when I feel like it...

In case you're wondering what you've missed in the past two and a half years, the answer is not very much! I'm currently renting a room in a house shared with three other guys, one of whom is away on a longterm assignment. I have recently relocated to our town center office, which is just a ten-minute walk from home, and have a desk that overlooks the river.