| Dynamo Bibliotheque |
[Feb. 10th, 2012|07:49 am] |
Hello Eljay,
Nothing particularly exciting to tell you about this week, other than the Dynamo Biobliotheque business.
Just in case you don't read Facebook/listen to gossip/go out running in the freezing cold, I will be running the Brighton Marathon on 15 April. Yes, I know I said “never again” the last time around. Yes, I really meant it. I genuinely don't understand how this has happened.
Last weekend I went out running in the snow, because I'm so hardcore. Tomorrow morning I'll be going out for a twelve mile run at 6:45am,
If you're feeling kind, then you can sponsor us here. If not, then not to worry. Have a nice weekend.
 |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jan. 27th, 2012|10:23 am] |
Hello Eljay, here is what I have been up to this week.
I have been running. Of course I’ve been running. Eleven weeks until the Brighton Marathon. I’ve also been sorting out our plans for sponsorship this week; our team Dynamo Bibiotheque will be raising money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. If you should feel the urge to sponsor us then information will follow in good time.
I’ve also been watching television, shock horror. We recorded the new Doctor Who series a few weeks ago, and finally got around to watching all three episodes this week. Strangely, he seems to be referring to himself as Sherlock Holmes now, he doesn’t have a female assistant for the first time I can remember since Adric (currently it’s Dr John Watson), and he doesn’t have a Tardis any more. The new doctor is kind of average; better than the last one, but not as good as David Tenant. A new series has apparently been commissioned for next year, despite the fact that The Doctor fell off of the roof of a big building and died at the end of the last episode. Ah, those wags at the BBC; I guess he’ll probably “regenerate” or something...
Hmmm, what else... Oh, I’ve nearly run out of garlic. Fortunately my mother in law grows it in large volumes, so off to Liverpool this weekend to stock up.
Haven’t seen any jobs to apply for this week. Things must be getting desperate when you start checking how long the journey time is to places like Southampton and Hertford because there are jobs there. Oh, and Birkbeck College are a fucking disgrace. There, it was good to get that out of my system.
I won a tenner on the lottery last week. Annoyingly, from our two lines of numbers we actually got five correct altogether; two on the first line, and three on the second. If the numbers which came in had all been on the same line, we could have won about three grand. Oh well. It will all be academic anyway if we win the Euromillions tonight.
Somebody in my team at work has just booked time off work to go to a sci-fi convention. Enough said.
Homebrew update: I reckon I’m about two weeks away from reaching the sanitisation stage. Just wanted to keep you posted. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jan. 10th, 2012|08:55 pm] |
It would appear that there were three categories of people using the gym this evening:
a) People wearing brand new, super-expensive sports gear
b) People wearing ridiculously inappropriate attire for participating in sports at a gymnasium
c) People who were actually members before 1st January 2012
When the novelty has worn off, please keep on paying your subscriptions until at least June as this keeps the price down for the rest of us. Thanks. |
|
|
| Ho ho ho |
[Dec. 25th, 2011|07:53 am] |
Hello, merry christmas and stuff.
As per usual, for those of you not on Facebook, here is my annual christmas song:
|
|
|
| Strange Brew |
[Dec. 19th, 2011|11:35 am] |
So Livejournal, are you really dead?
Well, I know the best way to find out; let’s have a poll. Polls used to be put up with great frequency in the old days, but I don’t recall seeing one for quite some time now. So I am now here to rectify the balance. And to find out whether anybody really is reading any more.
Some of you may have heard anecdotes whispered recently regarding vacuum cleaners and beer. Well, it’s all true. Hang on a minute, perhaps I should elaborate...
My wife and myself recently bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Consequently, I have been given permission to get rid of the three old vacuum cleaners (three!) sitting under the stairs. In the space which this clears, I am officially allowed to have a go at making homebrew next year. I have started collecting empty bottles for use already, and the plan is to order in some equipment and actually start fermenting (or whatever it is precisely that you actually do) by around the end of January.
There is one issue outstanding though; that is, that I require a name for my soon-to-be ultramicrobrewery. Coming up with names for the drinks will be easy enough; I’ll just name them all after British Sea Power songs. The tricky part is the branding though.
So, you know how it works. Three suggestions below, or else offer your own.
Poll #1804179
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17
Mark's ultramicrobrewery should be called:
View Answers
| Mayall Road Ales |
   3 (17.6%) |
| The West Herne Hill Brewery |
| 5 (29.4%) |
| Brockwell Beers |
| 6 (35.3%) |
| Other, suggested below |
| 3 (17.6%) |
This is the "suggested below" box:
By the way, all of the three vacuum cleaners on their way out are in perfect working order, so give me a shout of you would like one of them; although preferably quite soon please, as otherwise they’ll be on their way out very shortly. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Dec. 5th, 2011|02:14 pm] |
Hello Eljay, here is an update from me.
Holland is quite good, but a bit lazy on the whole. First of all it seems nice that everything is so laid back, but then when you start missing connections because every single train ever in Holland runs late then it can become a bit irritating. Additionally, when you’re trying to get breakfast and finding that nowhere opens until 11am, that can also become slightly tiresome; perhaps best summed up by Pancakes World who told us at 10:50am that they’d be opening “in about twenty minutes”, whereas the man outside said “take that to mean in an hour’s time”. Instead we went to Bagels and Beans, when they gave us free drinks whilst they sat around for a while before they eventually got around to making our bagels.
Lots of fun things to do in Amsterdam though, although I wish they could be a bit more imaginative with their beer. Basically all they do is make piss urine Heineken style lagers, and then import stronger tastier ones from Belgium. The imports are nice, but it means there’s nowhere at all in the entire country where you can get a bitter, IPA, porter, etc. Come on Holland, if you just broadened your beer horizons further you could be a really good country. Oh, and you should stop charging pint prices but only serving half a pint though.
Belgium, in contrast, was pretty rubbish. I’ve still got high hopes if I manage to visit Bruges one day, but Brussels was about as much fun as hanging out in Manchester. I can see now why such a truly rubbish vegetable as the brussels sprout was named after this city. Photos are up in Young Persons’ Facebook for anybody that’s interested.
Martin Jol is turning out to be a surprisingly rubbish manager. He seems to be fundamentally opposed to the whole idea of attacking, and I suspect that his idea of a dream come true would be for every football match ever to finish with a 0-0 scoreline. Probably just as well that Twente didn’t score the goal that beat us until the 89th minute, as that only disguised the fact that we had no Plan B to revert to after we’d gone behind.
I will shortly be printing and distributing this year’s Christmas cards. If you’ve moved since last year, it would be helpful if you could let me know. Maybe not in a response to this post (as you may not wish to share your new address with the entire world), but just put “I’ve moved” as a reply and then I will contact you further about this.
I have not moved, of course. Because the last time I moved it was so much hassle that I have no intention of moving ever again.
Anyway, back to work... |
|
|
| Fireworks |
[Nov. 4th, 2011|10:34 am] |
Hello Eljay,
Blimey, I've been rubbish at this. E-mail is down at work and I can't do anything., so thought I might say hello...
Also, I've been putting off coming on here because I have a really grim story about work (and how I've been treated by my current employer) which I feel compelled to tell, but it feels like climbing a mountain actually writing about it. Hopefully I'll share that with you soon; I'm sure you can't wait.
Three job interviews recently, but no light at the end of the tunnel yet; at least one appears to have gone to an internal candidate, whereas another was unusually brief for a management position. In fact, they only actually asked me six questions; at the end of the interview when they enquired "Do you have anything you'd like to ask us?" I felt like saying Yes; what are the rest of the interview questions?
Anyway, how are you? Would you like to come and watch the fireworks with us in Brockwell park tomorrow? There will be drinks and pizza at our house afterwards, and we live barely five minutes' walk from the park.
If you're a Librarian, the next meeting of Film Club will be on Thursday 10 November; watching the 6:50pm screening of Miranda July's The Future at the Gate Notting Hill. Anyone that's been to Film Club before will be getting some kind of a message from me later today anyway.
Oh yeah, and bye bye Wisla Krakow, you odious cheating wankers.
I didn't tell you about my trip to Poland, did I? Maybe another day. Potentially a nice place to go, but the astonishingly strong commitment to their massive anti-customer-service ethic which runs through every element of public-facing work makes it a real struggle trying to have any fun whatsoever there. On the last night I just sat and had a beer in my hotel room, because I just didn't have the stamina any more to face the massive ordeal it seemed to be just trying to go into a bar and have a drink.
By the way, Denmark was much nicer, only too fucking expensive.
Anyway, nice to see you all again. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jun. 12th, 2011|01:16 am] |
Hello kids,
The more observant amongst you may have noticed that I’ve been away from Eljay for a while. And, of course, the especially clued-up kids will have figured out why.
( Here we go then... )
 |
|
|
| Unable to organise a piss up in a brewery |
[Apr. 4th, 2011|08:34 pm] |
Does anybody know where I could organise a brewery tour for a group on Saturday 14th May? Yes, it has to be precisely that day (it will be part of my stag “night”).
Fullers in Chiswick don't do tours at the weekend, and the Youngs brewery in Wandsworth closed down in 2006. Sambrook brewery in Battersea are already fully booked on that date, Meantime only do Tuesday evenings, and I can't seem to locate any others in London that do tours.
Any ideas? Please? |
|
|
| What's your maximum? |
[Mar. 21st, 2011|10:03 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | The south will rise again | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Buffalo Tom: Skins | ] |
Blimey Eljay, three updates within the space of a month? Anyone would think I was starting to like you again...
Let's just start with the bad news and get it over with. I had to go to Manchester the other day. When Scott described the Antarctic as the worst place on earth, he'd obviously never been between Stockport and Bolton. Come, come nuclear bomb. Have I ever told you how much I dislike Manchester?
I found it hugely annoying that the food was so expensive at Manchester station; I previously thought London was bad, but Manchester Piccadilly makes the concourse of Euston look like Kwiksave circa 1991. Unwilling to pay 95p for a bag of crisps (apparently the going rate) I ventured outside to the nearest Greggs, where I discovered that cheese and onion pasties were selling at 87p each (London price £1.17). Somehow, this actually seemed to annoy me just as much.
Previously in life I've always been really keen on canals, but a couple of minutes walking along the ultra-grim Ashton Canal soon put an end to that romance. My god, what a vile environment; and I can genuinely say I've never seen water that colour before. Oh, and if you think about sticking to the roads instead then everybody in Manchester cycles on the pavement. And I mean absolutely everybody.
Anyway, now that I've got that off of my chest, I am happy to counterbalance this with some good news. Today, I experienced a strange kind of eBay justice (I never previously knew that the concept of eBay justice existed, but now I can happily reassure you that it does). I had a bid in for a DVD box set (brand new, still in wrapping, etc.) for The Lovely S's birthday. It was £28 on Amazon or just a few bob more on Play.com, so I decided I'd go up to £21 (including delivery) on eBay; or otherwise above that I might as well buy it from the grown-ups. 75% seemed about the right maximum.
Well, I'd forgotten all about this until I received a notification today that I was no longer the highest bidder. And then moments later a second notification saying that the auction was over; someone had done that thing where they place their bid with about twelve seconds to go so that you can't retaliate. Fair game and all that, I'd already bid the maximum I was prepared to pay for this item (they got it for about £22 in total). So then I sauntered over to Amazon, only to discover that they've now reduced this item to £10! I'm not sure in what way I deserved that, but it felt like some kind of payback taking place. Maybe I should write to the person that won the auction and thank them? Actually, no, on second thoughts there's an outside chance that they might not take that very well.
Anyone else coming on the march against evil on Saturday? No worries, happy to go on my own, you can all stay at home and I'll go out and change the world on your behalf. I know the police have a difficult job and all that, but I will be mightily pissed off if they do any of their kettling stuff because I need to get over to the parents' by three o'clock to watch the football afterwards. When The Lovely S goes off to the hen night she's attending on Friday evening I'm going to watch the Fulham goals of the season video 1987-88 to get me in the mood. I'm not joking, by the way; we watched the 1986-87 one last week. She sat through the whole thing. Bless.
By the way, if you had any objection to my wedding coming up at the end of May then I'm afraid you've left it too late. Lambeth council had a scrap of paper about it up on a notice board somewhere for sixteen days, but now you've run out of time to register an objection. The only way to stop us now would be to turn up at the ceremony, and wait for that moment when they say Does anybody know of any lawful reason blah blah blah and then stand up and make a scene. If you're not on the wedding guest list then I think it costs around eleven quid to get into the Wetland Centre, which hopefully should put off any chancers.
I'm picking the music for strategic points in the ceremony at the moment. You'd be amazed how many British Sea Power songs seem to be about birds, we're really spoilt for choice. Or on the other hand, maybe you wouldn’t be.
p.s. Only the highly initiated will understand the reference which is being made in the title to this entry. |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
tonight_we_fly's journal