This is what is really wrong with the World
by Notebook on January 27, 2012
God Almighty will you look at that. That is a before and after picture when cooking some ‘Marks & Spencer’ Bacon rashers this morning. It doesn’t need a lot of explanation, but on the left is the pre-cooked rashers which tempt you from the shelves with promises of yumminess. On the right is the cooked rasher. It is the size of my fucking thumb!
Needless to say the second half of the pack was also cooked for breakfast. I was still bloody hungry afterwards as those 12 Rashers probably only equalled the amount of meat you’d get from one normal one.
I keep saying to MBH to stop buying food from M&S. I don’t think it’s very good. Used to be but not any more.
I think this is pretty damning evidence to back up that request.
Fucks sake that was a bad start to my day.
Cute Overdose
by Notebook on January 26, 2012
This is something pulled straight out of “Wind in the Willows”, very cute.
Not sure why I’m reminded of MBH though…
Arse Clenching ride on the mountain
by Notebook on January 26, 2012
This is one of those videos that I find awesome to watch but it does nothing for my stomach or nerves
Good Grief a Birthday is coming up
by Notebook on January 17, 2012
I never draft posts. Maybe I should start? I do think of things to write but they sit in my brain until I actually get the chance to put them down. Normally when writing a post I’ll just do it, check the spelling and upload. A total stream of consciousness. But I’ve noticed I forget to blog about some things and spend long moments thinking “What the hell was so funny about Chicken again?”
I have no idea what’s funny about Chicken btw.
But maybe I’ll start drafts. Thinking about Chicken is not a productive use of time.
Anyway, my birthday is coming up and I’ve managed to mentally make this a ‘big one’. I’m also driving MBH crazy as I never like to do anything on my Birthday. No parties, no nothing. I’ve never been a big one to celebrate my own. This drives her nuts as she thinks Birthday’s are the MOST AWESOME THING THAT EVER HAPPENS!!!
“Now don’t say ‘No’ but…”
“No!”
[sad face]
In twelve years I’ve learned that if a sentence starts with “Don’t say No…” then it’s something I should immediately say no to before she get’s too invested in it and it just turns into an argument. Patiently listening to the pros and cons and then saying no never works.
“Good God you’re ridiculous and you’re being really unfair! I’m trying to do something nice!”
“It’s my Birthday isn’t it? I’m supposed to be able to do what I want aren’t I?”
“But I wanted to arrange a nice holiday for us”
“You want to go on holiday, not me, it’s a present more for you”
“….that is beside the point.”
“Okay, I always wanted to visit Iceland. Seems an interesting place”
“…would you rather not go somewhere warm with a beach?”
“Good Grief…”
I’m also apparently the worst man in the World to buy for because I’ve already bought everything I need. Deeper questioning on this got me the reason: spending weeks (or months) saying ‘Boy I really need to get a new x’ or ‘ My y needs replacing’ or ‘Getting a z will really make things easier’ and then, you know, eventually buying it means she has to cross it off the list of Birthday presents. Which by all accounts solely consists of things I’ve said a dozen times I need to get.
So explain to me how men are supposed to be really bad at present buying?
Case in point. I’m looking to buy a 4S. Which means she get’s my 4 (for nothing). I had a look at Vodafone etc and when I stopped laughing at the ‘offers’ decided that I’d buy direct from Apple (as I’ve done the past two times).
“I can give you half the money for your new phone”
“Really? That’s very sweet. But you don’t need to”
“It can be your birthday present!”
“So I’m paying for half my Birthday present?”
“…”
“Good Grief…”
Anyway, I’ve stopped the questions and debates about going on holiday for my Birthday (because who wants to go to most places in January??) as her Birthday is a month later and I’ve told her I’ll take her to London for the week. She’s only ever been on a flying visit and I lived there for a good few years so it should be fun.
Still no idea what she’s getting me though. I’m actually getting excited to see what she comes up with!
Perfect Quote
by Notebook on January 11, 2012
“I take the position that if I can forget it, it couldn’t have been very good” (William Gibson, The Paris Review)
I shall endeavor to use this quote at least once this week.
Not shocked
by Notebook on January 10, 2012
“Twitter is now officially speaking out against Google’s new search features that give prominent placement to content from its own social network, Google+.” (ATD)
Why would anyone be surprised at this? Google is an advertising company with a main focus on maximising revenue and keeping people using Google. Search just gets the advertisers the views. Forget about any ‘Don’t be Evil’ monikers. They’ll do what they need to do.
Must try Bing again actually.
Page One: Inside the New York Times
by Notebook on January 10, 2012
I think this was on TV a while ago, and I missed it. But it was a good compromise choice for us to watch tonight (it was either this or a fight between some lovey dovey thing or a Norweigian film about WW2 – opposites attract thank goodness).
Timely with the Leveson inquiry going on in the UK right now as well. MBH had said on Sunday after reading the papers “Well all the ‘news’ I’ve just read in there I read about last week online”. There’s the crux of the problem with the Newspaper industry. How do you stay relevant in an atmosphere of instant reaction on Twitter and Blogs? I think there’s still a need for serious journalism. The Murdoch Empire may have tarnished the profession in the same way that packaging debt derivatives has tarnished the Banking profession. But there’s still a need for good investigative journalism. It’s finding who are those journalists as well – getting to their voice through the billions of others who want to have or need to have their own say. Investigative and longform journalism is something I will always seek out. At least I heard about ProPublica from that documentary. I don’t think I’d come across them before so I’ll have a look at what they’ve been producing.
Interesting to watch though and definitely would recommend it.
Afterthought: I laugh to myself whenever Bloggers call themselves Journalists – at best Columnists or Opinion Writers but I have seen nothing that comes close to Journalism yet.
