Back to work after a particularly entertaining week off, that just co-incidentally happened to co-incide with the launch of WoW: The Burning Crusade. Taking it easy as I slowly adapt back into the real world.

Had an odd thought today while resisting to graffitii* the posters for the company Race Night thats happening this week (i.e. "with special guest Jade Goody!"). While wayne was getting ready to go out for a rather cold cigarette (the weather being cold, not the cigarette, obviously) and donning his balaclava and fingerless gloves, he reminded me about various strikes circa 1980, and my thought was this: Those brazier things (you know, the bins full of holes full of hot coals (never fall out of the holes though, do they?) ) you always saw striking miners huddled around warming their hands - where do they come from? What are they used for when industrial action isn't taking place? Can you buy them (www.strike-supplies.co.uk perhaps?) or is there some union guide to how to jury-rig them in the event of a walkout ballot?

Accused Mario of doing "a Karl (Flash) Howman**" last week, after he wrote a very handy script that would have saved everyone a good few mins every day, but just never told anyone about it - allowing him to do the IT equivalent of spending 30 seconds wiping the worktops while the missus was out doing the shopping.

Have Fun.
Pb.

* Not taseless graffittii of course, more a sort of joking corporate vandalism - I sometimes really have to fight the urge to do this.. Past examples include subtly changing the name of one of the meeting rooms from the Megan Castro suite (some local person of note) to the Fidel Castro suite - something which went unnoticed for about 8 weeks, finally being noticed when pictures of Che Guevara started appearing in some of the framed artwork, instead of the fields/icebergs/bollocks that's normally there.

** How selfish was that twat? I presume his missus had to slave away with the scouring pad whenever it was her 'turn' with the chores, as there were always plenty of cleaning products in stock at the Flash household, to which Karl would smuggly shove out of the way . ("Don't bother with all that... " ect)

-----Original Message-----
From: Christine Fox [mailto:fo*******0@tiscali.co.uk]
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 1:23 AM
To: paul@house-of-zen.co.uk
Subject: Been reading your backdated stuff

Been reading your backdated stuff
What an incredibly intense human being
How much you must suffer
Kind regards
christine


-----Original Message-----
From: Zen [mailto:paul@house-of-zen.co.uk]
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 10:13 AM
To: Christine Fox
Subject: RE: Been reading your backdated stuff

Hi Christine,

You must be getting me mixed up with Dave, my twin. He suffers quite a bit, mainly due to me forcing him to live locked in the basement for most of his life.

Me, I'm living the life of riley.

Best wishes,
Zen.

Banner headlines from various British newspapers today...

The Independant: Justice done in Iraq.
The Guardian: Endgame for dictator.
The Telegraph: Sadam death sentance.
Daily Mail: Defiance of the Tyrant
The Sun: Hang to rights
The Times: 'A snarl, then Saddam swaggered out'
Daily Mirror: Saddamned to Hell.


Daily Star: You're a big puff, Simon Cowell.

Popped up to see Keith over the weekend, as I'd not visited for a while, and I also had a lot to discuss, which I usually find is easier face to face with a drink, rather than over Her Majesties Interweb. We popped out for 'a pint' (on an empty stomach too - never a good move kids ) which ended up being a rather marathon all night session.

After a few pints, we took a break from some heavy philosophizing (but unfortunately, not from drinking) for me to give Keith his regular kicking at that fine gentleman's game, chess, which I indeed would have done expect for a lady with rather large knockers who kept distracting me. We developed a small audience into the match, which I'd like to think was due to the overwhelmingly enthralling spectacle, and not (as I suspect is more the case) due to a couple of odd looking characters playing a board game in the middle of a busy wine bar. I played a fierce opening game, however a rather over-exuberant gambit with a bishop failed to come off, and I eventually was forced to retire and shake the hand of the luckier player.

After that it was cocktails, where I had to berate the barstaff at central-American themed bar (called 'Cuba' no less!) for not knowing how to make a cuba-libra. We ended up at a local watering hole, where the (by this time) very attractive barmaid insisted we try some of her own concoctions, of which she assured would either 'kill or cure us' - I therefore suggested that we settle the bar tab after we finish the drinks, in case it turned out to be the former (which I bizarrely remember suggesting at the time was a 'win-win scenario')

After that, we went for a bit of a late night bongo/magic session*. Most of my magic was rather wasted on Keith, who by this time, after being on the recieving end of some of my finer tricks, was unable to actually remember what card he'd picked in the first place. I slipped up here, as actually I could have abused this no end, producing a stream of amazing card revelations, by simply telling him that "yes, that was the card you originally picked out" - he'd have been none the wiser.

Thanks for a good night out though mate :)

Pb


* This is exactly as it says - doing magic and playing the bongoes. It's not slang or anything.

Hello.
Quick post today for a number of reasons, the main being that I'm painfully aware I haven't posted in what seems like years, and secondly, because keith shouted at me for forgetting I had moderated comments set, so peoples comments weren't appearing. I've moderated them now, so they are free to go and play violently in the wild.

I know I don't post enough, but I'm always very cautious about what I write here.. not that I'm afraid of saying something I shoudln't, it's more that I feel I need to make what I say special. I feel very intimate about writing my thoughts on here to share with yourself, Avid Reader, like we are sharing some kind of written sex-act, but without all the fumbling, flatulence and the girl not being able to find your wotsit.

So much has happened to me lately that it would be a travesty for me to attempt to sum it up in a single post (So I won't). I shall ensure that I manage to make at least one post a week - this way, with careful rationing and no small measure of plagratism, I should have enough material for the next year.

I'm actually on enforced holiday at the moment, people have raised concerns that I had accumilated enough holiday to pretty much take the rest of the year off, so I've been kicked out of the office for a week - so all internet related tomfoolery will have to be on my own coin for the next 6 days.

Work has been essentially boring, lots of Sarbanes/Oxley compliance - if you don't know what that is, consider yourself lucky. If you do, you'll know what a pain in the proverbial it is. Sufficive to say, I'm not going to bore you with my work of late.

Non-work-related-work is turning out quite interesting through. All the ideas for Puzzle #3 have been shelved indefinately, as only 4 people appear to be interested. It's unlikely at present I can't see myself doing anything with it for such a small audience.

I wonder if it's possible to work it with some of the stuff that's going on down at szlamp.com... as part of the digital archeologists group known as 'the meld', we've uncovered quite a number of interesting things already, perhaps it could be combined...

I'm currently planning my next holiday, which I think is going to be another tour of the states, definately need to visit family again, and hopefully I can swing at least a few days to see Micky.
Discovered a tv show I'd not seen before - 'Peep Show'. No idea how I'd missed it (well, I've half an idea, it does have extremely bad scheduling from Ch4 - it's on about 11:30 at night or something), but it is so funny. It's essentially the life of two thirtysomethings, as they go about their daily lives, but seen (and heard) through the eyes (and thoughts) of them, hence the title 'Peep show'. Most of the comedy is derived from hearing the thoughts of the protagonists, things most people think but would never dream of saying out loud.

Check it out, just don't watch it with Auntie Nora, because it's rude.

That's it for now.
Namaste, and, good luck.

Pb

Well, about a week in (I believe) and I can proudly say I haven't seen *anything* about this years big brother. No idea who any of the contestants are, haven't seen any of it, haven't read anything about it, nothing. It's a bit hit and miss with moyles in the morning (have to have CD on standby) and I need to skip the first 3 pages of the daily star.

For me, the show has gone steadily downhill every year, devolving from an interesting social experiment, to a frankly pathetic human freakshow. It's almost the embodiment of everything that is wrong with society at the moment. Gods know why anyone would want to watch a group of societys lowest common denominators swearing, flashing or fucking their way into noteriety in order to secure some form of latch on fame.

Anyway, mini-rant over :).

Training was really painful yesterday, and my hamstrings have siezed up bigtime today. Just doing some light stretching and excersising today and tomorrow, then back in on Thursday.

Taking Niece to see Phantom on Saturday, so expect it to piss down all day, knowing my luck.

Apart from that, work busy, enjoying season 2 of lost, and thats about it.

Oh, if anyone is particularly handy writing DCL programs on OpenVMS, please mail me - I could use a hand.

Cheers
Pb

It's a little-known fact that the inclusion of monkeys makes anything funnier. Try it.

Shop - not funny. Shop full of monkeys - funny.

News program - not really amusing. News read by monkeys - laugh-a-minute.

Transatlantic flight - not at all funny. Transatlantic flight crewed by monkeys - comedy all the way..

Pb