Not long now until the start of World Cup 2010 and, as ever, I’m very much looking forward to it. I love the World Cup. But I have sensed over recent weeks that not everyone does. I started thinking about why I liked it so much and many, many memories flooded back. I thought I’d scribble them all down. A rare lump of autobiography here, but hey,...

Last Thursday I decided to get a wee Blu-Ray to watch on Sunday night. So, I dived onto Amazon, quick order and as I used Amazon Prime I get quick delivery. I did pause and wonder if I would be better to order on Friday but went with moment. Amazon were super quick and I got the email saying it had been dispatched that night. And, unsurprisingly, when I arrived home...

It’s nothing new to be skeptical about medical research and, although I’ve never come over all Ben Goldacre before, a story last week finally broke my resolve. So, as the BBC summarised: “People who fail to brush their teeth twice a day are putting themselves at risk of heart disease, research suggests.” “Suggests“. Mmmm....

Driving to work today I was behind a van belonging to a kitchen fitting specialist. This, in itself, is nothing remarkable. Then I noticed the tag line across the top of the back of the van: “Thee kitchen fitting and flooring specialist” Interesting. Is it a typo? Some weird Elizabethan theme? Plumbing in a ruff? As the van turned a corner in front of me...

To whom this may concern: I’d like someone to build a very simple theme park. It’s merely the set of the BBC series The Thick Of It. It is populated by various characters from the show (played by the theme park staff) and you get to pay £20 to be Malcolm Tucker for 30 minutes. During that time you can march about the offices shouting and swearing and...

Many moons ago, I wrote herein about my tendency to flap about like a butterfly. The truth is, I never really conquered that, until now. The butterfly is dead. Finally.Sorry pal… (click to download hi-res free from MorgueFile)This isn’t a New Year resolution. Don’t do those. Leading up to New Year, I have been planning all the things I want to do...

I‘m sure my reader would easily have guessed about 75% of these or more. I stayed honest and went for my favourites films to watch, rather than those I pretend to like for the purposes of appearing cool. It was a struggle, I think I need to know about 48 hours before I go as I’ve had to cut out too many good films. The Big LebowskiYou need to get off to...

The time has come to see how I did against my goals for 2009. 1. Throw Some Stuff OutAs previously reported, this went well, although their remains much to do. The garage still has to be reclaimed. But work has started on recovering some storage space. 2. A Great PhotoStill don’t think I nailed it but had a lot of fun taking photos this year. 3. A Complete...

I struggled for about 23 seconds to come up with my regular (ahem) end of year blog meme. Could I top the previous success (ahem) of the Desert Island C90 at the end of 2008 or the infinitely forgettable Best Album Tracks of 2007 (or the Amazon £50 challenge I chucked in at some point)? Shouldn’t be hard, some might say. This year, I thought I would stay away...

I‘ve always been a hoarder. Obviously, I refer to this particular prediliction as collector but, the fact remains, chucking stuff out is not in my make up. Aside for the ubiquitous big box of wires, I still have the postcard collection of my youth, all my coins, books I’ve read and won’t read again, books I’ve never read and, crucially, all...