July 2006

Seems people all across the world are slowly catching the blogger bug. Aside from Jo, there are now seven of you blogging - either publicly or anonymously - after thinking "Oooh what a good idea". And of the seven of you, five of you need assistance. One of those five has actually needed divine intervention, but I fixed that too ;)

Of the four of you, three are asking the very same question. How to install the C-Box onto your blog. Well, it's easy peasy, but then so is building a computer. It's easy because I know how. One mistake, and, well, it could all go very very wrong.......

The extra "added fun" to fidding with CSS/HTML code is that each and every template is different. So if you're using "the red one" and you're using "the spotty one" and you are using "the greeny lumpy one" then the code will be in different places.

So I will try explain it as best I can. First, a warning. Don't post it in a blog post. That will lead to a lot of tears. Don't post it at the very top or the very bottom. For one, it's either in the way or lost, and two, it's outside the correct code - and will lead to tears. Three, when posting it inside the actual coding, don't break any lines or words apart, again, that will lead to tears.

To post it on the side of your blog, you need to find the specific code in all that gobble-de-gook. Take a peek at this picture:

The first thing to look for is "/blogger", the second part is the word "Sidebar" or "Side Content" or whatever. Like I say, it might be different each time. Your best place to "stick it" is going to be after your profile. I won't go into putting a fancy header above it or anything, as that means copy and paste and edit - which if done wrong, will make a mess.

Here's another pic to look at:

Again, you're looking for something specific on YOUR template. The profile part of your sidebar will (or should) always have the words "$BlogOwnerNickname" and "$BlogOwnerProfile". There might be bore - Location for example, but still... Now, to put your cbox in (the code you should have copied/pasted and made sure it's not anywhere else in your blog), you need to go to the end of the profile part, before the two bits that say {/div} and paste it in. Click "Preview" and see what happens.

Now, if it gets REALLY confusing - because I know it can be - just shout. It's literally a two minute job, only longer if I have to fix stuff. It will mean you will have to share your username and password with me, so if you don't trust me, that's fine too.

Last note: If you're going to share your username and password, make sure it's not something really embarrassing. No matter how amusing it is. After all, you don't want anyone accidently mentioning it in conversation...

If you want me to do it, email me your Blogger username and password, as well as the Cbox code, and I will add it for you.

Weekend?

Where did the weekend come from? One minute it's Thursday morning, the next, I'm sitting here thinking "Saturday? Already?". Still, it's glorious weather this morning, no breeze and warming up at just after seven in the morning. Joyous.

Aside from plopping the Pirate post out on Thursday, I've done pretty much zero since then. I'm pretty sure we went into town Thursday, grabbing shopping and stuff for us and Ruth. We did dinner for both us and them as well - Jo cooks a mean stirfry. Thursday night we were social-like, and Friday we spent most of the day, you guessed it, in Ruths kitchen drinking coffee and taking the piss.

Nothing to report really.

Well, aside from the fact I'm still insomnia boy, but I am thinking it might have something to do with the fact I drink seven gallons of coffee each day. Of course, you say "cut down" but then, I get grouchy. Well, grouchier. Just don't make me moody. You wouldn't like me when I'm moody.

So here I sit, knowing that in the coming weeks I have to build another computer for someone else. Joy. I'm trying to not think about it as I REALLY can't be arsed, and no doubt it'll be a "Yeah thanks, can you install it. Yeah thanks, can you help with this. Yea thanks, you can go home now." without any mention of "Thanks for all your work, he's some cash." I've got one chap I help out that will always - without fail - just hand me £50 for LOOKING at his computer. Everyone else, not a sausage.

I imagine it's the same for people in families that have their own trade or skills. A plumber, electrician, a carpenter - whatever - I bet their families always pester them for "just that little job".

So anyway, here I sit on a sunny saturday, and actually have NO idea if we're doing anything today. Well, I KNOW I have to do the washing up. I can only put it off for so long. I could use the excuse "I'm trying to see what that green muck evolves into" but don't think anyone will believe me.

More YAAAR!

Thursday, 27 July 2006 Dan 13

So, the Pirate thingie I did the other day. I heard the song and started nodding my head to it, Jaysen started nodding his head to it, Jo started nodding her head to it, and Tam, well, Tam just threw down and started dancing. Not to mention all the other crazies around the world that have seen it and now walk around humming Yar Har fiddle-de-dee". I know about it - most of you have told me so!

So, with a little big of digging, a bit of rooting around and generally being a supersleuth finding the most obscure crap out there, I made a discovery. It's from a kids TV show. One that, incidently drives me mental. I don't know about over in the States, but here, every so often, you see a kid on the TV that just... rar! They over act, the world loves them, but they make people want to kill them. I have no idea what it is - but anyways, you'll see one soon enough.

The show - Lazy Town - is one they put on Cbeebies, a young-kids TV channel over here. The puppets are English, the actors are a mix of this and that. Tam watches it to a point, but loses interest, but then I think she's a bit too young for it. Ruths youngest daughter loves it. And the girl in it... Ugh! (Actually, it appears to be an show being filmed in Iceland with American and Icelandic actors!).

So, have a lookie!

So, those of you with "Yar Har fiddle-de-dee" on the brain - enjoy!

Edit: Lyrics can be found here!

Interesting Post

Wednesday, 26 July 2006 Dan 3

I forgot to mention this yesterday - my train of thought keeps derailing - but I had an interesting card in the post yesterday. I saw it was my mums handwriting, and it sorta surprised me. Jo popped it open, and there was a little "just a note" care in there, and she read it first, complete with a "what the...?" comment, and handed it over to me.

The basic jist of it, mum is changing her name back to her maiden name, as well as going from Mrs to Miss. Interesting stuff. So I gave her a call. For those that don't know, my mum and dad (The source of my surname) divorced when I was 6 - almost unheard of back then - and she she remarried on my 10th birthday, where she took my step-dads name of Ford. Yes, like the car. And guess which car company he worked for. John died three/four years ago, and mum offically because a widow, a title she's never liked.

So, I re-read the card and called the old girl up. "What's the hap old girl?"

Apparently over the last few months, she's felt less and less like "herself", like she had no identity, and was part of a family that completely ignored her. The Fords are not the greatest of people. When mum called a few weeks back to tell them "Congrats, Gemma had a baby!" they replied with "Oh, (our daughter) had hers six months ago, you're an aunt". They don't visit Johns grave, they never visited their mum when she was alive, turned up for her funeral, and vanished again.

Now, I can't blame her for any of this, but when asked why she didn't want to mention it to anyone before hand, she told me she didn't want people talking her out of it, changing her mind, or whatever. Which kinda confused me, as she's A) An adult, and B) It's her call.

She actually apologised to me - she felt bad that aside from when me and Gemma were ickle, we've always had different names. Well, as they say, what's in a name? I suspect she's up to something, but can't place what. And, after all, she's got a MUCH more interesting surname now. Married name, English, Married name Ford, Maiden Name: Osmotherly.

I mean, how much cooler is that name?! There are only two in the the phone book - Nan/Grandad, and Uncle (Mums brother). Not your average "Smith" now, is it. When companies ask to set password and ask for her maiden name, I never use it as when on the spot, I can't remember the spelling of it! hehe

Not sure what Gemma thinks about it - she's not mentioned it to me, so fingers crossed she's got her mail, or is going to be a tad surprised reading this! hehe

Oh, and for the record, the paperwork you have to do in order to go from Married Name to Maiden Name = hell. The paperwork to go from Married Name to Married Name to Maiden Name = Indescribable Hell.

One day I'll dig out the stuff about the Osmotherly side of my family - I remember as a kid, Mum, Nan and Grandad spent MONTHS collecting info for the family tree, and went back hundreds of years on it. I know there's a town that has something to do with our ancestors up north somewhere, and that we have family in the States, Australia and scattered across the country.

YAAAR!

Dan 1

Pirate? Use LimeWire? You'll love this. Unless you suffer from epilepsy caused by flashing - in which case, you miss out. But if you want the mp3... Clicky! If you want to download, Right Click, Save As...

I sense a new ringtone... Or a new text message alert at least ;)

"Yaaaar haaar fiddle-de-dee..."

Indeed.

More on Music

As requested by Christine.. I guess she's bored at this moment in time!

Song(s) that make you feel sad:
hehe See previous post, but to sum up just three:
-Evanescence - My Immortal
-Groove Armada - I See You Baby
-Hootie and the Blowfish - Hold My Hand

Song(s) that make you feel happy:
-Groove Armada - I See You Baby
-Blink 182 - All The Small Things

Song(s) that make you feel excited:
-The Prodigy - Firestarter
Actually, most stuff by the Prodigy!

Song(s) that make you mad:
Not sure I have music that makes me mad or angry... I don't have much of ANYTHING that makes me mad!

Song(s) that make you think:
-Baz Lurmann - Sunscreen

Song(s) that make you dance:
hehehehe *snigger* Dance? Me? At a push:
-Most Dutch Trance makes me wiggle a little ;)
-Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole

Stolen!

Thank yea kindly, Master Minge... As usual, these questions reveal that I am in fact as deep as a puddle of piss ;)

-What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Watching my child die, then attending my childs funeral.

-Where would you like to live?
Somewhere warm but not humid - as long as I could take my friends with me.

-What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Good friends, Good food, Good times, health, wealth and happiness.

-To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Non-Serious - I try to smile in *almost* any situation.

-Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
John McClane - if any man can take that kind of hammering and beating, and still walk out clothed, then I've got *nothing* to worry about

-Who are your favorite characters in history?
Da Vinci - smart, didn't care what others thought of him, considered crazy by those of his era, but a genius by us.

-Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
Every nurse that watches your sick child like a hawk to keep them alive.

-Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Lara Croft. Smart, Sexy - I think that covers it ;)

-Your favorite painter?
Hmmm, can't say I am "into" art. If I had to choose something that I could "feel" then I'd say John Avon, for his picture Angelic Wall. Very beautiful, very poiniant. I have a signed print of it :)

-Your favorite musician?
Can't answer that on the grounds of liking FAR too much music.

-The quality you most admire in a man?
Honesty...

-The quality you most admire in a woman?
Honesty!

-Your favorite virtue?
My ability to listen to those with a problem and help where I can.

-Your favorite occupation?
Never had one I could consider a "favorite"

-Who would you have liked to be?
I like who I am, though could do with some tweaking ;)

-Your most marked characteristic?
Believe it or not, my shyness and hang ups.

-The quality you most like in a man?
The ability to not take himself seriously

-The quality you most like in a woman?
To "get me"

-What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty - I don't like people who play games, and Understanding - those that understand what I am trying to say, and know I'll usually say something stupid.

-What is your principle defect?
Time Management, or lack thereof. I'd love to be able to fit in everything I want without a hitch.

-What is your dream of happiness?
Me, Jo, all three Kids, house somewhere nice without every feeling like we're struggling through life.

-What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
To have never known and loved Bethany. I pity those that never got to meet her in the flesh.

-What would you like to be?
Free of physical pain.

-What is your favorite color?
Dark Blue.

-What is your favorite flower?
Honeysuckle - small and delicate but with an incredible scent. Actually, it reminds me of Bethy. Small, delicate, beautiful and loved.

-What is your favorite bird?
Whatever it is that arrives at out house in May, has a haunting, almost sorrowful cry, then goes in the autumn. Still have no idea what it is.

-Who are your favorite prose writers?
I'd have to read it to have a favorite ;)

-Who are your favoite poets?
See above

-Who are your favorite composers?
Classically, no clue - I am ignorant. Modern-music - well, again, I like too much music.

-Who are your favorite heroines of history?
Any of Henry VIII's wives - to have to put up with that wife abusing prat...

-What are your favorite names?
Mine, my partner, and my kids names!

-What is it you most dislike?
Fish fingers, and being really sweaty.

-What historical figures do you most despise?
Those that have caused war, famine and death.

-What event in military history do you most admire?
Can you actually *admire* a war?

-What reform do you most admire?
Far too political for me at this time of the day.

-What natural gift would you most like to possess?
To be a writer - a proper writer, that is.

-How would you like to die?
Very quickly. A "Wha-?" *thud* death.

-What is your present state of mind?
Tired, but relaxed, and comfortable with who I am and what is going on in my life at the moment.

-What is your motto?
Everything I've ever been through, all the shit, has made me who I am today.

Blimey O'Reilly

Dan 1

I noticed yesterday late-afternoon my stats had crept up above their "average" of 100-150 pageloads per day of late. But yesterday was my second-busiest day ever. The last one was on the first anniversary of losing Bethy when I posted my waffle and her photos. 485 hits that day, 286 yesterday. NB; if you go visit that link, take a tissue.

The Year So Far:

This Week:

I'm quite impressed with my stats to be honest. Since January, I've had nearly 15,000 visitors come see my blog, and that makes me smile. Out of all of them, I like to think a least two find it interesting. Looking at some of the other stats, I find it interesting that some people have well over 200 returning visits, which makes me feel all fuzzy. If you're a regular here, pull up a chair. If you're new here, come over and join us! There's room for all!

Red Sky At Night, Shepards Delight

Red sky in the morning... Shepards house is on fire?

4.10am, out the back door:

You can click it to make it bigger :)

Very purdy. And yes, I was up at stupid o'clock again this morning. Woke up, needed a pee and a drink (I know I could've killed two birds with one stone...), and by the time I got back into bed, I was wide awake. Pah.

Edit: I should add the following disclaimer to this post. Remember I am colourblind! Many an occasion I've commented on the colour of the sky to someone, and been told "er, no dan" - so if it's NOT a red sky... well, tough noogies.

A New Toy

It's AMAZING the crap that makes me laugh, really. So give me something purile and childish, and I am happy for HOURS. Those "motivational" posters that people have - like the cat dangling from the rope with "Hang in there baby - nearly home time" or other such things...

Well, I've been playing with a site for the last couple of days that lets me make such posters - you add a photo, enter a title and a caption, click generate, and, well...

Those that don't know, that is Jo's leg in the second picture, after her last-last weekend away, after being hit with "safe" weaponry.

Anyway - I know you all want to play and make yourselves chuckle as much as I have been, so go play with the Motivator. But you have to send me what you make! Unless you've made rude ones that you don't want to share. Jo has been exclaiming "DANIEL!" most of this evening... hehehe

(Edit: This was written last night, but I couldn't add the images, so I edited it for this morning)

Blogger Screwing?

Tuesday, 25 July 2006 Dan 0

Anyone else having issues posting pictures? It's just kinda... Sitting there. Not uploading. And occasionally, I'm getting a timeout error. I think parts of LA have been having power issues, so I wonder if Blogger is there and having problems.

How hum. Mildly amusing stuff and photos of friends will have to wait! And maybe another toga pic! hehe

It's For Charity, Mate!

OK, the title is lost on every single non-Brit, but never mind...

You there! You! Listen up. You all know about Bethy. You know at least the basics, in that her heart was wonky from birth. CHD - Congenital Heart Disease. So, onwards with the point.

You've all read about the chap that took his paperclip and traded up and up to a shiny new house - amazingly named - www.OneRedPaperclip.com. Well, there is a chap that is trying the very same thing but for charity. he intends to take his bit of old rope, and trade upwards constantly for 18 months - whatever he has at the end, he will auction off for charity.

Good stuff.

So, at the very least, go check out his blog at http://money-for-old-rope.blogspot.com/ and at the most, have a dig around, see what you've got to get involved in this.

I'd auction Jo, but old used goods are worth so little.

The Sixteen-Month Old Geek

Kids learn most when they are young. Proven fact apparently.
And in this house, the first thing they can do before counting to five is learn to use the computer!

Granted she's not using it, but she knows what the mouse does (ie, drags everything around on the screen), and knows that the keyboard makes funny noises when you press all the buttons at the same time. She holds the mouse properly too!

Urgh...

Soooo, what happened last night? Well, for one, I decided I'd add to the collection of "Dan in Interesting Poses" photo series, but how did things get that bad last night? Damn you women, damn you all.

One of my friends, Emma - probably the first person I ever really spoke to in the UK about CHDs - sent me a text last night. She'd had a crappy day and was feeling all pants. And yes, pants can be used as an adjective. So anyway. We were chatting and being stupid all evening, then Jo joined in as well. Now, bear in mind, Jo loves to be mean to me, hence her latest post on her blog.

Now, Emma and me have this school-yard relationship. I prod her, she kicks me, I smack her, she punches me, and so on. Many a time we've flooded an entire email group being "mean" to one another. Anyways, last night, my hair was really pissing me off. It was hot and clammy on my neck, Emma suggested I "tie it back", and then told Jo she should do it all pretty.

So the pigtails appeared. Bear in mind, this is not the first time I've had something manly done to my hair. It's been worse. Emma decided it needed something, so the pigtails became little plaits. And from there, with Emma and Jo wetting themselves in hysterics, it got worse.

What better way to cheer someone up? So, first the head bobbly thing was added, complete with pink easter bunnies. Then the very large flower. Then some very pretty eye shadow, and some rouge on my cheeks. The icing on the cake came in the form of a Lei of Hawaiian flowers around my neck.

I feel pretty,
Oh so pretty.

Indeed.

And all this without a drop of alcohol. Thank goodness I didn't crack out the absinthe. All the mails I'm getting about "needing a dress"... hehe

Update: Please Kill Me

Monday, 24 July 2006 Dan 6

Women talking together is just too dangerous.

Forget the castration, just kill me.

Please.

Anyone?

Hellooooooo......

The End of Manhood

Sometimes, it's easier to just sit there and take it...

All for castrating Dan, please bring your blunt knives and form an orderly queue.

heh

I'd say "click it to make it bigger" but some of you, this pic is more appropriate than others!

Home Again

Yep, Jo is home once more. She was actually back pretty early this weekend, and while she had a great time, the game wasn't as good as it usually is. The guys were shocked she was a girly for once - I mean, she even arrived in a skirt - so they all had a good time. Not to mention she did her entire weekend-supply of booze Friday Night/Saturday Early Morning. Lucky for her the guys all share.

She got home, had her shower and removed the last traces of her makeup, put on some proper makeup and we headed over to Ruths - Jaysen had been there most of Sunday, playing with the army of girls there (Ruths two, Pauls, one, plus Celeste was there with HER daughter, AND the girl she had sleep over last night...)

Celeste left with Nadine and, er... the other one, Paul left with his girl (who's name I can't spell... Khana? Kana? K'na? Meh), I sat in the garden with the worlds supply of bubbles, Jo and Ruth sorted the kids dinner while gossiping. Ruth - not a roleplayer, but listens intently. I reckon Jo can convince her to go, even if not to play, but as a bar wench or something.

Sure the guys would love that ;)

Anyway, we got home, bathed Jaysen then put him to bed, I cooked dinner, we watched a DVD and had an early night so the dirty stop out could flake out on me by 10.30.

I have no sympathy for her - I didn't make her stay up all weekend!

On 5am, Meowing and Burglars

Once again, my eyes fluttered open at the crack of dawn. The exception this time wasn't "dammit I'm awake" but "I want that F***ing cat to shut up!!". Dipstick - one of our cats - is a tit. At night, we close all the downstairs windows, and leave a couple of the mid-floor windows open. Dipstick and his brother Cosmo come in at night, eat their food then piss-off out the window. The walk along the window ledge, drop down onto the extension roof next door, down onto the fence, and are away.

Go team kitty.

Except, NEITHER cat has the brain capacity of a squished frog. At 3.30am, Jo stumbled downstairs to let Dip in as he was out the front *meow-meow-meow*ing. He's got one of these pansy-meows that he does exactly every two-and-a-half seconds. I KNOW, I TIMED IT.

Just before 5am, his meowing woke me up. Yes, despite being let in, he did the window-roof-fence-away trick and was playing outside. I laid there willing the little turd to go play outside someone elses house. I even considered getting my bottle of water and pouring it out the window, until I heard Jo mutter something about having let him in once already. So I clambered out of bed, stumbled down stairs - closing the bathroom and toilet windows on the way through - down the next flight, and opened the front door. Where the little shit sat just looking at me.

"Get your arse in here now cat."

Well, he did, tail in the air in a bit "Up Yours". I shut the front door, and decided to deal with my screaming bladder. Back up stairs, into the loo, mid-stream... "Meow... Meow... Meow"

Finish peeing, go BACK downstairs, but to the BACK door this time. Open it up, and there is Cosmo looking pleased as punch. I swear, and stomp back up one flight, back up the next flight, and into bed. It's only 5.05am, and I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and relax knowing neither of the bastards can escape.

I was just comfortable, just warm enough, Jo was laying on my shoulder when I heard it. Footsteps I couldn't place. My eyes popped open and I was awake, listening intently. "Thump.. thump thump." Shit shit shit. I sit up and listen closer, placing all the club-like items in my minds eye. "Thump thump thump thump"

So I am thinking, "This is it, time to fight for your life, your family and your posessions. Don't kill em, just knock em down." Yeah, well scary - a fat wobbler, in his boxers, armed with a table leg. Fear me indeed.

I creep out of bed and reach for the leg and I hear it again. "Thump thump thump thump CAW!"

Hang on a second... Caw?

"Thump thump thump" comes the sound again, but this time, I hear it's source. Above me. That is, on the flat roof above me. "CAW CAW!" says the crow, doing whatever it is crows do at 5am on flat rooves. So now, I'm a fat wobbler in my boxers, armed with a table leg, stalking a crow.

Bloody great.

So now, balls to it, I'm awake. And still in my boxers, though I am now unarmed.

Can't Say I'm Sorry

Sunday, 23 July 2006 Dan 5

No wonder there are people in the world that look on to Britain and consider "our" food to be vile, gross and blergh. Just saw this on Sky News, and can only say "It's about time"

Pigs' Cheeks Off The Menu

Classic British dishes are facing extinction because the younger generation has not even heard of them.

Bath chaps, jugged hare and brawn are three potential casualties of changing tastes in food.

A "generation gap" in culinary knowledge is also to blame for the demise of former British favourites, according to UKTV Food.

Its researchers compared the desirability levels of several dishes amongst under 25s with the over-60s.

The survey of more than 2,000 people asked the two age groups to rate their awareness of different meals.

Bath chaps - pigs' cheeks in breadcrumbs - is the dish considered most under threat.

Jugged hare, where the hare meat is served in a sauce of its blood mixed with port, was second highest on the danger list.

The two dishes were recognised by just 1% and 1.6% respectively of the young people questioned.

By contrast, 40% of the over-60s knew about Bath chaps and 33% in that age group were aware of jugged hare.

Brawn - or jellied pig's head - was the third least-recognised dish amongst the young respondents.

Squirrel casserole is fourth on the danger list with a recognition rate of 4% amongst the under 25s, compared to 18% of the over 60s.

Bedfordshire clanger - scrag end of mutton or bacon served with kidneys and fruit - came in fifth place.

UKTV Food channel head Paul Moreton said: "While pigs' cheeks and squirrel casserole are clearly not to everyone's tastes, they are a powerful link to a bygone culinary era."

I mean, people obviously eat them, and no doubt there are people that think they are ambrosia (not the rice pudding), but come on... Don't get me wrong, I would consider trying all of the above, but to call them "classic" dishes? Squirrel Casserole? Sauce made with blood? Pig face?

I'll stick with my Toad in the Hole. hehe

Toga, Toga, Toga!

Dan 4

OK, I think you've earned another "Dan in a Toga" picture. This me standing, with Nathan kneeling. For some reason. And if you look, you'll notice we're both wearing very large klonking boots under said togas. And he was a lucky git - the only one to have a white toga.

The sign reads "Rome or Bust". Fear my nipple. And we're doing our very best catalog pose. The third photo has a much better pose...

Of course, when will I post the third one....? Guess you'll have to wait and see!

Some Songs...

I don't think I've ever covered this, sitting here, I felt I should.

There are a few songs out there that choke me up - and those that do are for mostly the same reason: Because Bethany loved them. Now, some of these songs I can listen to with a smile, others I can listen to but they really choke me up, and a small handful - I just CAN'T listen to. Then there are other song that have a whole lot of meaning, or just one or two lines that "get me". Each song title is a link to a lyrics site as a lot of these are "lyric based" issues. If there's a song you want to hear, let me know and I can send it on over.

Bubba Sparxx: Deliverance
An odd one, but this is one of the songs with one line that always hits me:

It hauls me with regret I never met your baby girl,
She's an angel on your shoulder helpin us to save the world

Status: Can listen to without problem

Counting Crows: Mr Jones
This was another of her songs she used to dance to all the time. Loved it. Plus Jo and her would stand in the kitchen singing away to it.

Status: Can start listening, then skip it.

Evanescence: My Immortal
Blimey, beautiful song, and Amy Lee has a haunting voice. This is one of the songs we played at Bethy's funeral because ALL the words have a lot of meaning to us. I have heard part of this song once since the funeral, and I just melted into a puddle of tears. I was shopping at the time.

Status: Cannot hear at all.

Faithless: Don't Leave
An odd one as, like a lot of others, it's a love song. But I often find the words of a love song have a few parts that ring true. The title, and this chorus of this song, are the words I can remember sitting watching Bethy in her last minutes...

Status: Can listen but get upset

Gwen Stefani: What You Waiting For
I love this - very "boppy" song with a good beat. I can listen to this and get a smile on my face, seeing the little angel dancing away and singing it. She loved it, and it took a while before I could listen to it.

Status: Listen to with a smile.

Groove Armada: I See You Baby (Shaking That Ass)
Anyone that knew Bethy knew this was HER song. She's walk around wiggling her bum to this song, and if you said "I See You Baby!" she would respond with "Shaking That Ass!". This song is on the Renault adverts over here, and depending on my mood depends on the reaction. We played this at her funeral and it made people smile to see her doing it, plus set a lot of us off again.

Status: Can listen with a smile some days, crying others, or not at all on bad ones.

Hootie and the Blowfish: Hold My Hand
Just thinking about this one is choking me up. Anyway. When Bethy was in intensive care, one of the only signs that showed us she was there was if you told her to hold your hand, she's squeeze it, telling us she was still in there. That stopped on her last day, and we knew what it meant. Jo used to sing it to her as well, before hospital and during.

Status: Rarely gets listened to, normally skipped after a few lines.

James Blunt: You're Beautiful
Despite a lot of people hating him, and again this is a sort-of-love-song that has various parts that hit me, especially the chorus:

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

I DO see Bethy sometimes, either out of the corner of my eye, or a little child with the same hair that I see with a glance, and I know that until I shuffle off, I won't be with her again.

Status: Chokes me up but I can listen.

Johnny Rzeznik: I'm Still Here
I know Bethy is still around me - she's inside, she around, she's egging Tam on, and this song makes me smile and realise that she is still around. Not sure why though...

Status: Listen to with a smile

Kid Rock: Forever
An odd one I know, but Bethy used to stomp around to this one, shouting "Kid Rock - Forever! then moshing her head. I can still see her doing it!

Status: Listen to with a smile, occasionally skipped

Kirsty MacColl: Days
Another "love song with somewhat poinent words" jobbie, for example:

And though you're gone
You're with me every single day believe me

as well as

You took my life
But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me
But it's alright

Just lots of words in there that strike true.

Status: Can hear every now and then, but not often

Kristien Leontiou: Story of my Life
This song is one long ballad and a lot of the words always make me think of Bethy. I'm fairly sure she never listened to it, danced to it or anything else, it just cuts me up...

Status: Start to listen, then have to skip

Limp Bizkit: Rollin'
OK, an odd one, but this was #1 in the charts the day she was born, and as we love the song it was played a lot - she eventually stood there doing the dance... Hands up, hands down...

Status: Listen to with a smile.

Markus Shultz: Without You Near
This is a dutch trance song, but a slowish mellow one. As you can tell from the title, it's got a few parts that make me smile through a tear or three. There are VERY few lyrics here, but still...

It's a little bit lonely for me
It's a little bit faint Without you near
Without you near

and

Any other day, you just look Around and
All you see is gone
All you see is gone

Like I said, it's the most stupid things.

Status: Listen to, but skip on bad days

Moby: Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
Not sure what it is about this song, as it has like two lines, but it's a very emotional song for me - the style of the music, the sound of the guy singing, and then the chorus of something I can never really hear, I just love the way it comes across. I love it, amazing song, and it just reminds me of Bethy and how I feel since losing her.

Why does my heart... feel so bad?
Why does my soul... feel so bad?

Status: Love to listen to it, even if it does make me cry

Natasha Bedingfield: These Words
Bethy used to love this song with a passion - let's face it, there's little she didn't love. But this song was loved by her, and the chorus always kicked me in the heart.

These words are my own
From my heart flown
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
There's no other way
To better say
I love you, I love you

Status: Usually end up skipping the song

Pink: Just Like A Pill
Another song that has NOTHING to do with anything, except a couple of lines:

I can't stay on your life support, there's a shortage in the switch,
I can't stay on your morphine, cuz its making me itch

Bethy, life support. Bethy, allergy to morphine - it made her itch. And because of those lines, I can't listen to it!

Status: Skipped every time

Robbie Williams: Angels
Sort of a no brainer really, the words are very true-to-point, not to mention this was the third song played at Bethy's funeral.

I'm lovin' angels instead...

Because let's face it, I'm loving an angel instead of a little girl.

Status: Depends on the mood

Scooter: The Logical Song
A dance track. Words that mean exactly zero in relation to Bethy. However... There's always a "but". One weekend when Jo was away, I had Bethy on my lap, and recorded me dancing around with her on the webcam. I still have the clip, and it makes me gush like it's going out of fashion. The song I can listen to usually but occasionally, it gets skipped. Not even sure how old she was when we did it, but not very old at all - either 10 months or 13 month, but forget which.

Status: Fine most of the time

Shakesperes Sister: Stay
Another love song, but I remember the video clearly from all those years ago. She's over a guy that's apparently dying, and she's telling him to stay with her. NOW I hear the song, I see us sitting with Bethy making that decision.

Status: Skipped nine times out of ten

Stuart Wilson: Canon in D
OK, yes, this is Stuart from "Captains Blog" Stuart over in "Blogs I Read". If you've seen his blog, you'll know he's a smart banana when it comes to electronic music. At his wedding - Bethy and Jaysen were there - he wrote this song and then played it in front of everyone. Bethy LOVED it - she went made for it running around cuddling and telling everyone she loved them. I hear it and see her doing her thing, spreading love.

The link up there will either start the song playing, or download it, depending if you click it, or right click it and "Save as". I also note, what I thought is "Canon in D" is on his site as "Electronic Canon (Pachelbel).

Status: Can listen to on a good day

The Cheeky Girls: The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)
For those that have never heard of them, this is a legitimate "band/group" that had a couple of hits over here. Of course, butt-related, Bethy loved it. She'd dance and sing "Oh Ah Cheeky Girls!" and bounced around wiggling her bum.

Status: Gets skipped fairly often

Three Doors Down: Here Without You
Only heard this recently - on a World of Warcraft video, no less - but the words to it... I sat here listening completely agap at it with tears streaming. Yes, granted it's a love song, but almost the whole of this song screams "Bethy is Gone" at me. Click the link, read the lyrics.

Status: Usually chokes me up and sometimes gets skipped

Weebl: Badger Badger Badger
If you've been here for a while, you'll remember the fascination of the Badgers when they were released. There are links to it on the right. Still, Bethy used to love this, and would stand like one of the badgers dancing like them. I have it as an mp3 and usually have to skip it.

Status: Usually skipped.

Weebl: Kenya
Pretty much the exact same story as above, except that instead of dancing like a badger, she'd dance like the lion/tiger.

Status: Usually skipped.

I think that covers them... There are a fair amount more. For example, any of the songs from Shrek or Shrek 2. The Titan AE soundtrack kills me every now and then, and the Princess Bride soundtrack is skipped very regular-like. And don't get me started on DVDs we can't watch - mostly because they were either one of her favorite movies, or we watched them a lot in hospital. Shark Tale and Finding Nemo are dangerous movies to watch.

Despite this list - and a few tears while writing it - I'm in a good mood today, I just felt a need to do it. Not sure why. But if you hear any of the boppy/cheerful songs, have a smile and think of my special little angel dancing to them.

Sleep?

-1.50am, my last post on here, the rambling "Bloggers Family Tree"
-2.00am, sort out animals, close windows, check plugs, check windows are closed, lock doors, recheck doors, get drink, head upstairs.
-2.15am, text Jo good night, check phones are on, grab a book.
-3.30am, decide "ugh" and hit the light.
-4.00am, see that it's 4am.
-5.50am, open eyes, see it's light and sunny, grab book.
-6.30am, get out of bed, shower, brush teeth, get clothes
-7.00am, sit in front of computer and start the day again.

I suppose it's a good thing I am a night owl. And that I can survive a few days on 2 hours sleep. Most nights (my "average") is 4-6 hours.

How well did you sleep last night? Wait, it's 7.15am on a Sunday - you're all still asleep.

Bloggers Family Tree

Dan 7

OK, it's nearly 2am and I've been up all night gassing - not that I am tired though. But anyway...

You know those "tired ideas" you get, the ones that strike in the wee small hours? Like "How to make a lightsabre" which granted is also a "drunk idea", but anyway...

Wouldn't it be interesting to make a family tree of sorts to see what bloggers regulary (i can't spell that - often) read other blogs, just to see how everyone interlinks with everyone else. See, there is this thing you might have heard of, called The Six Degrees of Separation. The theory behind it is, that any two random people can be joined by five "steps" or less. OK, I am tired and it's hard to explain, but the theory is:

-Me to Minge (for arguements sake)
I know Bob, (1)
Bob knows Rob (2)
Rob knows Barb (3)
Barb knows Flo(4)
Flo knows Lara(5)
Minge knows Lara (6)

Does that make sense? I know...
Wikipedia Article
Balls to it - here's the Google Search instead.
There's also the Kevin Bacon game, in that any actor is linked to Kevin Bacon in the same way - The Oracle of Bacon.

But anyway, back to the point. With the exception of a few, most of the blogs I read, I found through links on OTHER blogs, and people arrive on my blog from other other blogs. So if there was a giant family tree of bloggers, you could see how everyone knows everyone else.

I know, I know - I'll go to bed. I'll see this in the morning and think "Dan, you're an idiot" but still. Wouldn't it be cool to find the six people in the world that link you to someone else...

Night!

Inspired!

Saturday, 22 July 2006 Dan 2

OK, it's not a huge amount of inspiration, but I thought "what the heck". Alan in Ireland just put a photo of his new home keys onto his blog, and my keys were sitting beside me, so I figured, what the heck. Boredom is a dangerous place to get me. So, here you have it. My keys.

For those interested - I can hear everyone clicking "Close Window" already - you have a keyring with Jaysen and Bethy passport photos, a loved bear from Jo, a Dan-Kana from Hawaii, all three kids cord clips, a sex bomb trolly token, a scoobidoo, and several keys to several things.

While discussing Alan, he's threatening to put his blog on moderate because of me and his friend Beth. Bless him.

In other news - on topic, because Alan mentioned it in his postings - the "interesting ways of finding my blog" - I had an entry yesterday from Quebec, Canada : "date knife wielding psychopath"

Still, congrats on your new place matey!

Bored

As the title suggests, I'm bored. I mean, I am sitting here looking at my game list with a "meh" attitude for starters - Half Life 2, World of Warcraft, Sim City something-thousand, EvE Online Demo, Unreal Tournament 2000-something... Can't be arsed. My PBeM D&D game is slow over the weekend, so nothing to do there really. Jo is away till tomorrow night - on the bright side a text from her earlier tells me she is having a really good time - while I am bored. Jaysen is being good as gold.

I spent most of the day with Ruth and Paul, so Jaysen+Ruths Girls+Pauls Girl could just charge around. Shifted a freezer, cleaned behind a cooker (the phrase "Blergh Disgusting" doesn't come close - sorry darlin!), faffed around. So while I was entertained all day, I'm now... You got it. Bored.

Thanks for the replies on spending my cashola. Sorry Mark, you could have the worst teeth in the world - might I suggest my friend Shannon in the states, the only person I know to remove his own teeth. Oh, with a pair of needle-nosed pliers, I might add. Pay for it yourself, or I send him in.

Joansy - as ever you go waaay in depth! Let's see... Multiple Monitors - I'd love too - I have a card to do it AND a spare 19" monitor - but not the space I'm afraid. This Post shows the space around the monitor - third picture, with a Tam behind it. The post she is holding - same on the opposite side. On the brightside - having an overclocked computer running without spyware or anything nasty, on an 8mb connection - I never have to wait for webpages to load, plus I have enough RAM (2Gb) to run games, browse the web, reply to mails and listen to music all at once.

The fish-in-the-cistern, while amusing, is not something one can enjoy while sitting on the loo - I'd spend all day up there watching it, but then no one else could go pee.

USB Chiller - a handy ickle gadget, but while we might be mid-heatwave here, it'll be mid-winter in a couple of weeks. And besides, I have a "Booze Fridge" in the utility room out back. Not that my alcohol has time to get warmer than normal. Though a heating version to keep my coffee warm might be handy. Assuming they made them for the mugs I drink out of!

A handy dandy headphone beanie - being a geek, I have a pair of headphones the size of Rhode Island that I use, with pseudo-surround sound and sub woofers. Diddly little earphones don't cut it for me I'm afraid. Not to mention I have a meat head.

Lastly, a musical? Me? About the Witches from Oz? I don't do musicals, I am not a musical person. I had to sit through Grease during the week as Jo loves it - how I didn't raid the knife block I have NO idea. I cannot stand musicals. At all. Sorry Minge, I know you love them, but the limit of my musicals is very very very short. I saw Return to the Forbidden Planet live, which I loved. I've seen Rocky Horror live a couple of times, and own the DVD. I enjoy Moulin Rouge - but finish it before Wots-Her-Face dies. That about sums it up for me. The kids ones - Mary Poppins, Shitty Chitty Bang Bang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks - I remember loving them as a kid, but now, not so much. Once in a blue moon is fine.

But ta anyway :)

Karin - Jaysen is a bit of a nightmare fidget. My favorite resturant is the the Outback Steakhouse (formerly Aussie Outback) near here, but Jaysen went once and was bored as there is nothing to do. I can't do the whole Play Area places like Playtopia either. Jaysen's idea of a fun meal out is Maccy-D's. He's a very uncouth lad.

Minge - see above Wicked comments. Maybe you and Joansy should go see it ;)

I'm still at a loss as to what I want to buy. I thought about getting Jo something, but our phone call this morning when I subtly said "Anything you want - anything nice you've seen" was replied to with swearing and a "spend it on yourself".

I considered getting myself a proper kitchen knife set, I mean, full on professional stuff. Something like this - if I add a few quid to it. I've not used a proper knife in a long time, and believe me when I say, the difference between a "kitchen knife" and a "professional knife" is incredible.

Maybe I should just put £100 of credit on my mobile phone - at least I can make it through the month without relying on some stupid free online stuff when my credit is gone! I can't see me being impressed with much at all! hehe

Guess I'll go watch a DVD or something. It's only 9.20pm :(

One Hundred Pounds

I have sitting beside me a gift of £100. "Spend it on what you like, buy yourself something." Excellent stuff, I'll have a.... a, er... um... er...

So, here I sit with my little stack of five £20 notes - and I have done since Thursday afternoon - thinking "What do I want?". Bills are paid, so no need to panic-pay any of them. Clothes? Pffft, yeah because that'd be SO much fun. DVDs? Nothing out that I want, though I COULD refill my CSI collection to include two seasons of Las Vegas, and whatever is missing from Miami and New York. Computer Stuff? Well, I can ALWAYS upgrade my computer, but it'd only be an teeny bit. I already have a swanky mouse and a swanky keyboard. Mobile Phone - did that already this year. Junk? Well, I hate to squander my money or something "fun now, collect dust later".

So here I sit, with a furrowed brow, trying to figure what to spend the money on.

Oh, and for you non-pound-using sorts, £100 works out to: US$185, €146, CA£211, AU$246

Ka-Ching indeed.

Suggestions - and I don't mean a "send it to me" or "buy me a..." suggestion either - if I can't spend it on me, I can't spend it on you!

I Wanna Live THERE!

hehehe I was just catching up with the news and saw the name of a what sounds to be a grand old place to live. AP's "Odd News" has run a story about a guy in a chicken suit getting abuse. Fair enough - there are plenty of asshats in the world that would chuck fireworks at a guy in a costume. But that's neither here nor there.

The news story is pretty mediocre until you read the last paragraph.

"Smaller kids really love it," he said. "We've heard of kids coming from Judsonia, Bald Knob and other parts of the county just to see the chicken. Little kids run up and want a hug."

The town of Bald Knob? Seriously?! I mean, did someone look down his pants while founding the town and think to himself "A-HA! I know!"

See, the kids need a hug from the chicken, because everyone else in the world laughs at them when they tell them their address!

Me - For Once

Friday, 21 July 2006 Dan 5

After flicking through my blog, it occours to me there are VERY few pictures of me. Browsing my hard drive for "amusing" ones, it turns out that I am in fact the one behind the camera 90% of the time. I found about a dozen of me. Figured I like to make people smile, so what better subject to use than me and my manly prowess.

My... er... 21st? Maybe. Not sure - it's one of my birthday parties. Note the following: I am thin, I have no facial hair, a center parting, leather trousers, and manly pose. This is taken in the living room of our old flat (apartment, to you American sorts). The door with the trainspotting poster is the bedroom, and between that door and the wall behind us was the worlds smallest kitchen. Also note the size of our TV and the size of our Video collection.

The others there, well, the hunchback is Ian, not sure what he's doing, probably an Igor impression. Between my legs, well that'd be Jo's older brother Grant. The chap crouching is a guy named Richard and the other two people - there is a leg to one side - I have no idea, and that shadow between me and Ian - a friend of my sisters that REALLY didn't want to be photographed. Daniel I think his name was...

=====

Ahhh yes, a snow day. OK, so I am fat, but the hair is the same, I actually have a goatee but it's too crap to see, but the manly pose, that's still there! I'm surrounded by all my friends too ;)

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"Oh it's fun to stay at the... Y-M-C-A" and here we are, mid "M". From the left - I forget his name, but he was a scout. Then there's Chunky Me. Then Jo's ickle brother Greg. Then there is Ben. And on the end is Nathan. Nathan, the man that is the cause of the Great Toga Incident that people always talk about near me, not to mention great days such as "Let's All Wear Womens Clothes" and "Let's Play Pool Cue" a game that involved leaning a pool cue against someone without them noticing.

The photo would be Jo's surprise 21st, where she looked SO good sobbing, red-face saying "I'm soooo happy! *sob sob*"

=====

And here it is. The Toga. My god I look young. This photo has been buried for more years than I can remember, but me and Jo had been together for about 10 months, so it's pushing 10-11 years old now. This would our Toga Day at the European GenCon (a gaming convention). While in hindsight taking actual togas or white sheets would have been an idea, we were staying at Loughborough University, and so, the logical item to make a toga from would be the greeny-blue bedsheets. There were about a dozen of this wandering around for the day in scorching temperatures. The following day was the "Three Grown Men In Dresses" day, of which the photos couldnt be scanned as the scanner blew up. Shame ;)

If you're good I might put the other two Toga pictures up some time, with me and Nathan posing and looking very dashing with out "Rome or Bust" sign...

Celebdaq

If you look in the chat box there, you will see Joansy offering me her services. Remember waaaay back in February, Alan decided to start doing a Celebdaq league? Well, five of us joined, but Alan and Nikki have both left. Me, though, I stuck with it, struggling and cheering over tens of £££'s.

A few months back, some chap called Wayne Rooney broke a couple of bones in his foot. I'd just managed to scrap up to £14,000 and decided I'd invest in the little tit, and used my meager earnings to buy 4 whole shares. Three days BEFORE he broke his foot.

I've never seen my money climb higher or faster. Then it settled, but there was the whole "will he play/won't he play" in the world cup, so I kept him. He's did something stupid during a world cup match, and was all over the papers and WHOOOOSH! Money! Ka-Ching! Moolah!

I thought "this will be GREAT - he's all fired up, this'll be in the paper for weeks!"

Cue today.

Yes, I am down to just over £9,000. In a week. I just don't get it!!

Now, take this into consideration. Joansy is an American - this is a BBC-UK game. Filled pretty much with UK Celebs, in that they are all reality show rejects, TV Soap stars, footballers, socialites, or from some crappy pop band. How Joansy, HOW?! Do you have a sixth sense? Are you using some sort of hack to see the news before it happens?!

*cry*

And then there is Minge and Ina. That little symbol next to their names means they've already broken £1million (just like Joansy has as well!), the million which has already been removed! Minge is currently sitting on £1.8million, so will lose that as well and get another little wad of cash next to his name.

So, here we go - using The Joansy Plan, I intend to kick everyones ass. YAAAR! Using her patented system, I will start playing Celebdaq!

(Watch this space, in five weeks I'll be selling the kids into slavery to make a few more quid!)

Edit: I've figured it! Joansy lives in Las Vegas, gambling capital of the world! She has a system! hehe Of course, it's also the CSI capital of the world, so maybe she's using their methods to solve the crime... Or something.

Edit 2: OK, Peter Crouch shares, check. 8113 shares, to be exact, leaving me a grand total of £1.12. I actually have more than that in my pocket! hehe

The Difference Between SEARCH and ADDRESS

OK, so there is SOMEONE out there that finds my blog in the strangest way, and while I know EXACTLY what they are doing, it's always amusing...

Here we have the top of my internet browser, Firefox. You'll have to click the image to make it larger.

Now, if you use the Google Toolbar it might look slightly different, or the new version of Internet Explorer, but for the most part, it's the same thing. That great big bar - that's where you type in the web addresses you want, ie, http://lyrass.blogspot.com. That smaller box, that's where you type things to find a site who's link you don't know, such as "Dan English Lyrass".

If you type the URL into the search box, granted, you find what you are looking for, but when I check my StatCounter, I see the following:

That's a result of a keyword search, or, someone putting the URL into the Google Box. Actually, thinking about it, it could also be someone just being blonde. However, the best thing about StatCounter, is I can do this:

So, hello Sweden :) Not sure how many people I know from Sweden to be searching specifically for my URL, but I imagine it's someone I play Warcraft with. Come on, fess up!

As my mum always said to me as a child, no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter what mistakes you make - someone is watching you.

Another Idea - STOLEN!

Sorry Minge, but I had to...

The Seven Most Recent Songs I've Listened To**:

Shanadoo - King Kong (currently playing!)
The Automatic - Monster
Busted - Year 3000
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama Out
Junkie XL - Beauty Never Fades
Millencolin - Happiness For Dogs

**The reason some of THOSE songs are on there is thanks to Jo - she's practicing her SingStar songs, which means my computer (the jukebox) has to play them. Dammit.

Seven Web Sites of Note:

Seven Things I'll Never Eat:

Fish Fingers
Kidneys
Brawn
Chocolate Covered Cockroach
-
-
-

**I'm REALLY struggling with this. I mean, I am assuming this is "Given the choice, I will never eat..." but then, if it was a case of life or death... I will eat virtually ANYTHING.

Seven Things I Don't Like About My Body:

My Weight
My Stretch Marks
My Back Problems
My Tonsils Missing**
My Big Nose
My Sweating!
My Health

**After having my tonsils removed a few years ago, I can no long sneeze silently or without holding the boogers in!

Survey-Quiz-Thingies!

How Much Do You Know About Blogging?

Thanks to China Blue, I've been clicking this stupid radio buttons on various quizzie-survey things over the last few days, but always forget to post the results. So here's a job lot, just for you :)

Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate

You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great.
One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog...
And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes.
Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

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You Are Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous.
You tend to be successful at anything you try.
A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd.
You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

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You Communicate With Your Body

This isn't as bad as it sounds, it just means that you're a "touchy-feely" person.
You need a lot of affection in your life. And for you, this means both giving and receiving little touches.
Warm hearted, you bond with people easily. In fact, you often feel a little sad when you're not in the company of others.
A little moody, you tend to be controlled by your emotions. But a bit hug always comforts you!

How Do You Communicate?

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You Are 72% Gentleman

You are definitely a gentleman. You're very considerate and you have excellent manners.
Occasionally, you slip and do something foolish... but usually no one notices!

Are You A Gentleman?

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You Are a Natural Flirt

Believe it or not, you're a really effective flirt.
And you're so good, you hardly notice that you're flirting.
Your attitude and confidence make you a natural flirt.
And the fact that you don't know it is just that more attractive!

What Kind of Flirt Are You?

=====

You Are a Blogging Expert

You got 8/8 correct!
You know so much about blogging, you should blog for a living.

So there you have it... I spent hours going through BlogThings one weekend while Jo was away, maybe over time I will put up more of my results.

It's All News

It really IS doom and gloom around the world, isn't it. I mean, more so than usual, which takes some doing. Irish Alan blames the weather, while it could be the beginning of the end from a Biblical position (not that that holds any weight with me!). My morning ritual after stumbling downstairs involves coffee and internet - Sky News first, then comics, then I delve into all my favorite blogs - which is getting to be a pretty impressive list!

Popping open the news page of late just makes me sigh and keep going. I know - it's not news unless it's BAD, but holy crap, why does everything have to happen when the weather is so nice? I'll tell you - no one wants to war, cause scandel, gossip, lie, cheat, steal, rape or murder when it's pissing with rain driven by a gale forced wind.

Maybe that's the cure to all the worlds problems. Fuck up the weather so people don't want to do anything. "I don't want to invade that country, it's too cold".

I mean, let's look at this here - these are stories all in the news at the moment, but I won't be linking them, as let's face it, if you don't want to read you won't click them.

Israel vs. Lebanon
15 Year Old Rapes 11 Year Old in Sainsburys
16 Year Old Rapes 13 Year Old in Swimming Pool
Cadburys Responsible for Salmonella Outbreak
Deputy Prime Minister in Scandel
More on Indian Train Bombings
Tsunami Deaths Close to 800
Islamists Urge Somalis To Ready For War

And none of this touches on the goings on in Iraq, and let's not forget there's still hell going on in Afghanistan, there were plane crashes internationally and locally, as well as all the other rapes and murders.

AND Stuarts wife had her purse stolen in a town where cow tipping is their most violent crime.

OK, granted, there ARE "light hearted" stories out there - for instance, my "MyYahoo" homepage has one section for international headlines, one for Technology, and two for "Weird/Amusing" news. These I WILL link, just to give a small smile...

Ah well, if you can't smile, you're going to cry I suppose. Still, if you want something to read, might I point to the list of Blogs I Read just off to the side there -------> Lots of snazzy people with lots to say. Go read, go say Hi :)

Another Movie for 2007

I'm a child, I know I'm a child, but I don't care. I like kids films, I like tacky action movies - I am a simple man.

If you're one of my generation (that is, around 30), then you probably grew up with the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. But wait - Americans are jumping here saying "Hero?! It's NINJA! Ninja Turtles!!" Yes yes, but this is England. We weren't allowed to call them Ninjas! From Wikipedia:

Censorship and Hero Turtles

Upon TMNT's first arrival in the United Kingdom, the name was changed to "Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles" (or TMHT, for short), since local censorship policies deemed the word ninja to have excessively violent connotations for a children's program. Consequently, everything related to the Turtles had to be renamed before being released in the UK. The lyrics were also changed, such as changing "Splinter taught them to be ninja teens" to "Splinter taught them to be fighting teens."

The policies also had other effects, such as removing Michelangelo's nunchaku (which were at the time banned from appearing in even 18-rated movies) and generally toning down the usage of all the turtles' weapons. After many seasons of never using his nunchaku, they eventually disappeared entirely, replaced by a turtle shell shaped grappling hook called the "Turtle Line".

By the time of the 2003 TV series, these censorship policies had been abolished, and no changes have occurred in the content of the show. The name "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" remained unchanged for the 2003 show. As a result, in the UK, the 1987 show is still called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and the 2003 show is called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

So anyway... Remember the movies... There were three: One, Two, Three. And they were comprised of martial artists wearing foam suits. Good times - even though I hated them.

Fast Foward. March 2007. This is how they should have done it originally. Not that digital movies were that common around during that era. Yes, a new TMNT movie, and I actually wanna see it!

Guess I need a CAT Scan!

So - are movies now scraping the bottom of the dodgy barrel, as it were? A new Turtles movie? Is it marketing gone mad, because you KNOW that this will make the Turtle toy craze kick off again next Xmas. Are they making the film for artistic purposes, or is it the Mighty Dollar ruling their minds?

Summer!

Gone is having to get up at 7am. Gone is having to iron school shirts. Gone is having to plough through homework folders, remembering water bottles, hats, breakfast, walking to-and-from school twice a day.

Gone is school for six and a half weeks!

And remember - I'm the ADULT here! hehe YAY!

The school holidays officially start today (thunderstorms forecast for later today!!), and Jaysen is officially no longer an Infant. No no, come September, he goes up to the next level of schooling, and becomes a Junior. Not sure what the US-School System uses, but over here it's something like:

3-4/5: Nursery/Playgroup/Kindergarten
5-7: Infants
7/8-11: Juniors
11-16: Seniors
16+: College, Uni, Poly, 6th Form - whatever really :)

Added to all this, Jaysen received a bloody glowing school report from his teachers. Holy crap, we couldn't be more proud of the little monster, especially when you consider everything he's been through. 99% of the time we see the well adjusted, smart-ass boy that does well in school, but a lot of people forget he was there when Bethy left us. He said goodbye, he was THERE.

I know exactly why he's done so well - I can pinpoint the exact reasoning for his getting through this - his teacher, Mrs Prince. If there is a saint among us, it really is that woman. The kids LOVE her, the parents LOVE her - and she is one of these teachers that loves her work. She was there guiding them from the moment they went into Reception (the gap between Kindergarten and Infants) and has been there right up till yesterday. Most of the kids were sobbing that they don't want to leave her - Jaysen will miss her but is looking forward to the next level, as it were.

As for his report, it is graded on something like 1- Needs more effort to keep up, 2- Average level, 3- A year advanced, which in his case is the first year of Juniors. Added on these, is various levels, a, b and c. 2a is the lowest average, 2c is high average.

Clear?

Aside from Public Speaking, Jaysen got straight 3c's. EVERYTHING shining like a star. He needs to "work on" his confidence speaking in front of groups, but to be honest, I can't do that to this day. As long as everything else he does kicks ass, I'm fine with a 2b in Speaking.

Ruths daughter Ashley (who is 3 months older than Jaysen and the oldest in their year) got the same grades, including the Speaking one. These two are always together, do their homework together and suchlike, so probably do well through one another helping each other. I look at the pair of them and see the two kids that grow up through everything together - fingers crossed that's the case.

So, to sum up - my son is a smart bastard.

Oh - and they are "amazed" at his skills on the computer... Easily "his strongest subject" hehehe Wonder why...

Another (Boring to Most) Blog

Thursday, 20 July 2006 Dan 3

In case you're poking around in my profile, you might notice another blog under there, "Worlds Largest Blog". It's not the worlds largest at all, by any stretch, but a Dungeons & Dragons based blog for a game (well, THE game) I am running by email. It's all just a cunning play on words. To any non-gamer, it's probably hugely boring, but if you fancy a read, go have a little lookie-loo. It's a very basic template, has comments disabled, and is literally there as a secondary archive for the game.

In case you're interested, The Worlds Largest Dungeon is currently the largest module for D&D, not to mention the most expensive. We played it Table Top (that is, with real people, face to face) and the first area took about six months of weekly playing. And there are 13 areas. Mahoosive.

And to stay on topic - EVERY D&D Gamer has seen this, but for those brave enough, this is what a game of D&D looks like...

Ahhh Summoner Geeks. Dead Alewives. Classic Stuff - and that's me, the DM, getting hammered with all the stupid questions!!

I Converted Her!

Dan 1

So, for a while now I've been on at Jo to start her own blog. Excuses from "No one will read it" to "I have no idea what to put on there" were given, but due to my very persusive measures - that or the threat of physical violence - she finally started one up.

Now, her excuse about content is not founded - after all, you all read MY ramblings about, well, complete crap, so I am sure people will read hers. Go take a peek and say hi - point your browsers at http://jo-rant.blogspot.com and feed the old wench words of encouragement.

She reads here, but usually every few days, so come Tuesday no doubt I will get a punch for that comment, and have NO idea why! hehe

Edit: Sorry Christine, you might have been the first blog I was reading (hence your #1 position on "Blogs I read" but she gets her "But I'm your other half" trump card - so you're dropped down a space!

Addiction