So, So, Shiny...

It's not often that something completely fab comes out of nowhere and lands in my lap. In fact, I think the last time it happened would have been June of last year ;)

However, Tuesday/Wendesday this week, I receive a call from someone - someone who shall remain nameless, just in case.  They tell me someone that is a part of the company they work for bought "a laptop" earlier this year, but, because they have more money than sense, and didn't really like it - they gave it to the company.

Now, more often than not, this would be acceptable and the company would think "Woot, free laptop" however, for reasons I am still not sure about, this company is not allowed to do this.  So, the staff in the IT department take it in turns to take the unwanted items home with them.  The person who's turn it was didn't really need it, but took it anyway as it was their turn.

And then promptly called me up and offered it to me.

Now, we all know that I am partial to gadgets and fancy stuff, and making sure it was really unwanted, I said "ohyespleasegimmiegimme"  And today, it was dropped off.

Now, when I say "Laptop" what I mean is "Beast of a Machine"  Granted, it was filthy - apparently, members of this company (the afore-mentioned, "more money than sense") will buy fancy things, then either get rid of them or just mess them up, replacing it with something bigger and better and even more flash.  However, a bit of grime is not enough to deter this blogger.  No sir.

Under food, crumbs, grime (and I do mean grime) and various items of indeterminate nature, I found an Acer Aspire 8930.  Which, for you non-geek-like-folk, is effectively a desktop computer, with a graphics card, BlueRay/High Def, full size keyboard, five built in speakers and a ruddy-great 18.4inch screen.

Lucky for me, being such a big lad, it still qualifies as a laptop ;)  It really is quite large, quite loud, and definitely very flash.  you can see the specs and pictures of it here. For the truly sad geeks, it even has built in blue LEDs at the side, and the logo on the lid lights up. As does the media control panel on the left.

I kid yea not, this thing has so many knobs, bells and whistles on it, I am waiting for something to happen.  Some sort of karmic catch to say "Well, you've got that, and it's good.  Now to offset it!"

I WAS going to post a really sad geeky post, photos of the box, and the packaging and everything else (Which, I should add, smell rather icky) complete with a step-by-step unpacking... But I just tore into it and got going.  I am hoping it'll run games well - WoW, the various Lego games, Spore and suchlike - but have spent a while uninstalling all the tat that comes preinstalled on it, and personalising it to my own fussy fussy tastes ;)  No doubt I will get a picture of it on here at some point!

So, to my person that gave it and the person that delivered, thank you sooo much :D  Their anonymity is being protected, should people start pestering them for this, that or the other.

And as a post-script to this post, the afore-mentioned rich git has bought - as a replacement for a very powerful laptop - an iPhone.  Another iPhone, as, apparently, he already has one.

Doh! indeed..

Musical Monday #78 - Here In Your Arms

With Monday looming again already, and, mores the point, Autumn firmly rooted on the doorstep (alongside piles of dead leaves!) I decided there needed to be more upbeat fun music. Slow Versions are all well and good, but you need music to brighten your day, which needs to be played loud and make you think summery-thoughts.

I caught this one on TV during the week - I was actually sat reading at Gemmas when it came on and I put down what I was doing to listen. Very good. It's featured quite well on my W995 mp3 player too ;)

I suppose technically it falls into the Dance/Trance category, but then, that might just be because the band use a lot of electro-synth type sounds. Doesn't bother me none, I'm sold on it.

Of course, without having a Google-roo, this may be a new song, it may be an old one. Meh, either way - me likey. HelloGoodbye - Here In Your Arms

I like,
Where we are,
When we drive,
In your car.
I like,
Where we are,
Here.

Cause our lips,
Can touch.
And our cheeks,
Can brush.
Our lips can touch,
Here.

Where you are the one, the one,
That lies close to me.
Whispers, "Hello,
I've missed you quite terribly."
I fell in love, in love,
With you suddenly.
Now there's no place else,
I could be, but,
Here in your arms.

I like,
Where you sleep,
When you sleep,
Next to me.
I like,
Where you sleep,
Here.

Our lips,
Can touch.
And our cheeks,
Can brush.
Cause our lips can touch,
Here.

Where you are the one, the one,
That lies close to me.
Whispers, "Hello,
I've missed you quite terribly."
I fell in love, in love,
With you suddenly.
Now there's no place else,
I could be, but,
Here in your arms.

Our lips can touch.
Our lips can touch,
Here.

You are the one, the one,
That lies close to me.
Whispers, "Hello,
I've missed you quite terribly."
I fell in love, in love,
With you suddenly.
Now there's no place else,
I could be, but,
Here in your...

You are the one, the one,
That lies close to me.
Whispers, "Hello,
I've missed you quite, miss you quite..."
I fell in love, in love,
With you suddenly.
Now theres no place else,
I could be, but,
Here in your arms.

Here in your arms.
Oh, here in your... arms.

Musical Monday #77 - It's My Life

So, aside from the rather strange Doctor Who music last week, I am no longer going to not post something if i worry people won't like it.  If you don't like something I post, never mind ;)  I may well have posted something I don't like myself, or I've posted it because I like it.

Still, I've done a few Bon Jovi songs over the course of my Musical Mondays, and today is going to be a different one.  However, it's one of his/their songs everyone knows - just done in a completely different style.

It's My Life is possibly one of Bon Jovi's biggest songs - everyone knows it as far as I am concerned, at least once they hear it, they know it.  If you somehow aren't sure what song I mean, then Click Me!  However, while listening to my Last.FM page this evening (I'm writing this on Friday!) I was surprised to hear this version get spat out.  It's the same song, but done in a slower tempo and sung completely differently.

Have a listen and enjoy!  And out of interest - which version do you prefer?  Me, I love the original version, but this is very good too!

It's My Life
This ain't a song for the brokenhearted
No silent prayer for the faith departed
And I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder, make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky, gotta make your own breaks

It's my life
And it's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life

You better stand tall
When they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break
Baby, don't back down

It's my life
It's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
And it's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive

(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said, "I did it my way"
I just wanna live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life!

Gemma, The 0dd Sister

After being consistantly mean to me, I decided to share this with the world...

Mission: Incomprehensible

There are some things I simply don't get.  Buying bottles to put ketchup in, for example, just seems like an exercise in futility.  If ketchup came in a bag or something, then fair enough, but it doesn't - it comes in a bottle.

It's like packing a box of things up - and putting that box in a box.

But I digress.  We all know I'm easily irked, and this is nothing new ;)  The last couple of weeks, the weather has, shall we say, gone somewhat downhill.  And you Aussie sorts can shush right now - I don't want to know how glorious you have it or anything else.

For the last few weeks, I've been putting off getting Jaysen a new coat.  Last years winter coat is, shall we say, a little worse for wear.  After all, it's been worn by a 9-10 year old boy that believes coats are indestructable.  Still, September was rather nice, so I figured "It can wait a bit"

Of course, last week, Mother Nature - being the evil sadistic cow she is - decided to turn the thermostat down, turn on the wind machine and for added measure, set the clouds to "constant drizzle" which I detest.  So, with the boy wearing little more than a large fleece, I sent him into school, and aided by Ickle 0dd Sister, we went coat shopping.

Now, neither me nor Jaysen are fussy when it comes to coats.  All we ask is that it's A) Warm, B) Waterproof, and C) Doesn't make you look like a complete knob.  Not such a hard criteria.  The only other thing I needed was that the coat was for 12-13 year olds as he's growing like a weed and I'd like the coat to last more than half the winter...  Gemma set to driving, and off we set.  Little did I realise how rubbish that day would be.

PS: Looking on the Matalan site, they also have the magical "13 years old, now vanish!" thing going on!!
Our first port of call was Matalan.  We went to the Boys section, and looked at their range of coats.  All THREE of them.  Four, if you count the sleeveless bodywarmer-type thing in there too.  One coat was quite nice, but Gemma said we could look elsewhere.  So I decided to do just that.  I'm not one to just buy the first thing I see.  So, across the road, we headed to Sainsburys.  Into the kids section, into the boys section...

Now, according to the wisdom that is whoever runs the kids section in this bloody shop, once a kid reaches 12 years old, he ceases to exist.  There are NO coats in there for kids aged 13+.  From dinky-size, through the early years, double digits, eleven, twelve... Then nothing.  The smallest adult coat would have smothered any normal 13 year old child.

We spoke to a member of staff in there, and she was as stunned as we were - she hadn't even realised.  Of course, she was helpful - she told us to go to Matalan (where we'd just come from) or try Tesco.

So, back into the car, and across Basildonia, into Tesco.  Now, I should point out, this store is huge.  Me and Kellie shopped in there last week, and from end to end, it took nearly two hours to fill our trolley.  They sell pretty much anything you might ever need.

UNLESS that thing is a coat.  Not only did the age thing happen again (thirteen year olds don't exist!), but the entire selection was just three coats.  Three ugly coats.  And that was that.

We tried Choice, which is a Next outlet store, but they had ONE style, and that style was "shite" and looked like someone had waxed a dressing gown.  I even went into the Sports Direct, thinking people into sports would need warm clothes for standing around watching people do whatever sporty things they are watching...  Most were ugly, and the one that wasn't too ugly was more than I would spend on a coat for ME.

You know what.  We ended up going back to the first bloody shop and getting the coat that wasn't quite so bad.  Sure, we could have gone into the town centre, into the shopping centre and going through every single clothing-related store, but I really wanted to go home.

And before anyone suggests Primark, that was where I got his other coat last year - which lasted approximately three weeks.

So why is it that boys cease to exist at 13 years of age?  The girls sections had coats through the teen years, but boys...  I could have gotten him something out of a catalogue, but that would have been so stupidly priced, it wouldn't have been worth it - plus he needed it a week ago!

So to all the big chains, the places that most people look when they need something - pull your bloody fingers out chaps.  Give us a better selection, in the sizes we need - not the proverbial middle finger with a sign saying "If you don't like it, lump it" Seriously, it cannot be THAT hard.

And you know what, next year, I will have to get one that falls into that mystical age category that doesn't exist...  That should be a fun day...  Incidentally, that coat picture is the one I ended up buying too.  Thick, waterproof and warm - and doesn't make him look like a complete dick.