Drinking alone.

In a yates wine bar. At 5.38 in the morning. Go me.

Boredom

Birmingham Airport eh? Lovely place to spend 5 hours of your life, unable to sleep. Still, at least they have the interweb so I can bore you with sleep-deprived drivel for 10p a minute. I've run out of people to text, and unsurprisingly, no one's answering. I suppose it is 25 to four on a Thursday morning.

Still, I can think of worse places to be stranded waiting for a festive flight home. Like ...

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Birmingham international airport, 1.44am

Only 5 hrs til my flight leaves. I love christmas travel

The phenomenon taking the world by storm

After "Mo-vember" in New Zealand, my friend Helen has attracted my attention to this:

http://www.bearduarybelfast.com/

The world's gone facial hair crazy....

The London Paper

never got back to me to even acknowledge that they had printed my column or that I had received positive feedback. There have been mutterings from my friends that the text vote is merely a cunning ruse with which to fleece people of their hard earned pennies. I must say it does seem that way.

Mind you, with all this "paper 2.0" style of journalism happening at the moment (the London Paper has ...

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Bloggers, eh?

"Ninety per cent of the people who read your blog live within six miles of your computer. The other 10% read it on your computer."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1971858,00.html

Tiredness

another busy weekend almost over, but not quite, as I sit here awaiting chucking out time in the Prince Albert and the appearance of my young lovely.... Started off on Frtiday with Christmas drinks in Browns in Covent Garden with my team (couldn't afford the meal), continued through attempting to watch Goodbye Lenin on dvd, a bit of Christmas shopping, a great afternoon/night in the White Horse ...

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100% More!!!!!

Get in there! Ok, so it was quite obviously just my mates who voted for me in the newspaper, but as my mate Rich pointed out tonight, no one said I was boring.

I'm not sure who he/she is, but I need to find "Flo" and buy him/her a pint... There, nestled in the letters page, was the snazzily titled "Tony Edgar is the best columnist I've read".

You can see the full letter (plus text result at the bottom of today's columnist) here

If my ego swells any more, I may get stuck in the door.

Drink destroys lives

It also makes for an amusing friday night

what can I get from my mum for Christmas?

I'm stuck.

I'm kind of famous! Again!

Obviously the London Paper doesn't get many contributors to its "columnist" section, as they've printed my submission!!

I'm officially a published journalist now! I can think of at least three real ones I know who might disagree with that comment, but it'll do for me.

Check it out:

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I might get an anonymous blog

Those of you who know me well know I am rarely bashful when it comes to disclosing what goes on in my personal life. However, some of it is not the kind of thing I could honestly say to you sober, and certainly not the kind of thing I'd want my mum to read*.

So I think I might start an anonymous blog to disclose the slightly more embarrassing things I experience. Only problem is, who would even know it was there?

*Don't worry mum, I've probably accidentally told you it all when I've been pissed anyway

I'm drinking Tyskie

In an attempt to immerse myself in all things Polish, I bought some lager from the shop this evening. It's 5.6%. And really rather nice.

Lee - a.k.a. Wattie187

Remember how i promised to thank everyone who sponsored me? No, neither did I....

Lee (left, mohican, with my mate Fliss) is next up on the list, who I saw just over a week ago when he and his dear fiancee invited me round for dinner. Yes, he is the one-and-the-same man who is making an honest woman of my friend Helen.

We had a lovely time when I was back in Norn Irn, getting a bit pissed, ...

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I've been thinking of changing the blog

to a new stylee.... although I've become quite attached to this format over the last few months.

What do you reckon? Maybe it's time for a change - I'm 29 now, maybe I should go for a more mature image. Perhaps I'll cycle through the available options to an untrained html-er (i.e. all the default settings) over the next little while and hold a kind of "blog idol" with you, the voting public, deciding on the outcome. Or maybe, like so much else in my life, I'll not bother and then forget about it eventually.

My "beard". Pathetic

and no more, after a somewhat less than emphatic reception from the girlfriend.

Possibly because I look like a smug prick in every photo I attempted to take of it.

Woot!

I've just got a big ole cheque via internal mail from our "corporate conscience" department - an additional £500 for my sponsorship! This brings the grand final total to a whopping £1075.01!!!!

Thanks again everyone, any last minute guilty consciences can still pop over to http://www.justgiving.com/tonyedgar before 22 December to pledge some cash.

I sit opposite our communications manager, who is hatching a fiendish plan to embarrass me in the staff magazine. Aw shucks, I would hate that!

I'm kind of famous

Not really. But my friend Murray, the enfant terrible of the digital marketing world, used my blog as an example in a presentation at work the other day. Apparently the fact I post stuff from my mobile is quite cool - the garlic bread of the technological world in fact.

I'm pretty sure he didn't mention the £80 phone bills I'm stuck with though.

Reasons not to bathe drunk with a pumice stone

Laid Back

With my mind on my money (or lack of) and my (lack of) money on my mind.

Am very drunk on Tanqueray Gin, but also have just had a lovely bath and ripped my fragile skin apart with a pumice stone, trying to get the nicotine patch stickiness offa me. I now have no stickiness, just four bright red raw areas, which even the "magic cream" (aka my mum's Sudacreme) has failed to help. In fact it made ...

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Who'll win a trolley dash?

I notice the web counter is at 1998.

Please let me know who is number 2000! Helen S had the privilege of breaking the 1K barrier.

I guarantee a special prize, in the same way most of my friends promised to sponsor me.

I feel like Jim Carrey

I met up with my friends Helen and Lee in Belfast last night (they of " recently engaged" fame). It was very weird at points. It transpired Helen is quite a regular reader of the blog so knew a lot of things about me before I said it. It kind of cut an almighty swathe through our small talk.

TV advert comes on: Helen goes "oh! there's one of those adverts for towns! I'd never noticed that ...

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That column in full

My attempt at providing some froth for the long commute home - not sure the girl in question will appreciate it:

"I have recently started seeing a very pretty young lady. I think we like each other. You know what it's like - boy meets girl, boy and girl decide they like each other, boy and girl subject everyone within a ten metre radius to copious public displays of affection. It disgusts people ...

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Bloody dial up #2

As I have a bit of spare time at home, I decided to try and get a column printed in "the Londonpaper". For those of you outside the capital (of England), this is a free rag that offers joe public the opportunity to pretend to be a journalist for the day. The vast majority I have seen either focus on the knucle-bitingly obvious ("Oyster cards!", "Kids playing their mobile phone music on buses!", ...

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Hello? This is 1997 calling....

I think I posted the other day that I wished it could permanently be 1999, as I was sick of getting older and growing up.

It's not quite what I had in mind, but I am currently sat in my mum's spare room feeling like it is the end of last century, tippy-tapping away on my mum's laptop, accessing the wonderful world of the internet through dial up. And not just dial up, my friends - pay as you go ...

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I'm starting to quite enjoy this

**Just noticed I got his name wrong. I'm sure that won't wind him up in the slightest!**

Response (Noel Mellor)23/11/2006 05:59 PM

Dear Tony

Thank you for your response. I apologise if you are not happy with the service offered by Ticketmaster, but communications of this nature are not helpful.

The full details of all bookings are made available to you at the time of purchase, along with terms ...

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The TNPC

reconvened this evening. I had a great time - met up with Lizzi, Jennie, Craig and Murray in Goodge Street for some pintage and chat.

I was the first to leave, due to shortage of cash and my big works xmas party tomorrow (in the Tower of London, no less). I texted them when I was sat at home with my kebab to thank them for a wonderful evening - they were still in the pub having a "debate" about ...

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The Mighty Hun

Are through to the knock out stages of the UEFA Cup! What we fail to manage against St Johnstone, we can do against the 5 and 6th best teams from leagues throughout Europe. First time in 34 years that both the Gers and Celtic are still in Europe after Christmas. Get in there.

Dear Ticketmaster....

Discussion Thread
Customer (Tony Edgar)
23/11/2006 09:18 AM
Dear Noel

Thank you so much for your complete lack of compassion. I imagine it is very easy to hide behind an email address with no prospect of anyone ever getting through to talk to you on the phone. I understand your policy and was hoping that you might understand that, despite their best intentions, people are occasionally fallible. ...

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Ticketmaster are scum

Yes, I understand their "no exchange" policy.
Yes, I am an idiot.
Yes, they are the most inflexible, hide-behind-an-email-address company in the world when it comes to customer service.

"Noel Mellor" - I'm talking to you.


Please respond to "Ticketmaster Customer Support" tm_support@mailnj.custhelp.com

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary ...

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I'm gonna take down that annoying "Sponsor Me" thing

cos let's face it, if you were going to do it, you will have done so by now. Another HUGE thanks to everyone who did - once my extra from my company arrives, I'll have raised over £1000 for Fairbridge. Am stunned.

I do still intend to thank everyone personally through the old blog - it's just that unfortunately a burd and Christmas have blessed me at once, so time is a little in short supply. I'm sure you understand.....

Another good day for the Emerald Isle....

Ireland rise to number three in the world rankings in rugby, less than a year before the World Cup (of which the final is on my 30th birthday - fate?), and the mighty Celtic march into the last 16 of the Champions League after beating Man Utd. I know I am a Rangers fan, but secretly, I wish I was a Tim. It's just not that simple unfortunately. But from a Hun, well done Bhoys, hope you get at least a round further than we did last year.

Why can't it be 1999 for ever?

I don't want to grow up. Life is too complicated.

I'm only 29 for God's sake.

As Take That almost sang, "Everything Changes But Me"

Competition time

apparently the picture below is hard to work out. So a prize in the form of a pint for the first correct / most entertaining answer as to what it is.

Unintentional

But quite cool, methinks

Congratulations!

To Helen and Lee, who have just announced their engagement!

My wee pal, all grown up! And only 28! Bless.

Am feeling all snuggly and huggy and nuzzly - congratulations guys, and I expect celebrations next week when I'm home, or at the very least a drunken party at Christmas.

Txx

Dunno if you can read this

Why does bad grammar annoy me so? It's 2am on a friday night!

Advice for men

If you happen to find yourself having a one night stand with a mussel, make sure she spits instead of swallowing. After a slightly odd conversation in the pub last night, I discovered that they reproduce by ingesting sperm through their feeding tube. Durty little molluscy whores, the lot of them.

One of my strengths...

....is that I am a very rational person.

So why then, does a trait that serves me well in 99% of my life, decide to have a nap when I start to like a woman? It phones up its mate "paranoid" to cover its shift for a couple of hours.

Boy meets girl. Boy quite likes girl. Girl seems to like boy. Boy and girl see quite a bit of each other for a couple of weeks, and arrange to meet on Wednesday. Boy ...

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I got to drive the DLR today

It was fun. Andy had told me it was especially good on the tunnel into Bank station. It was - just like driving the tube I imagine! Or the world's most relaxed roller coaster.

For those of you who don't know, the Docklands Light Railway is entirely automated, so where the driver's cab would normally be is just a normal seat. On an otherwise empty train this afternoon on the way home from the ...

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Don't be skint on a work trip to edinburgh

You miss out on all the fun of a night out on the piss

Ging ge ge ging ging ging ging ge ging

Remember me?

Hello. Sorry I’ve not been in touch lately. It’s been a bit hectic.

The Christmas festivities kicked off on Tuesday, and sure enough I’ve ended up out every night since – hence the lack of chat.

Tuesday: Christmas arrived early in Regent Street, as I fulfilled a childhood dream of watching the Christmas lights get turned on. Unfortunately, Shane Richie doesn’t have quite the clout ...

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Cathy

Cathy was next to sponsor me, almost two months ago. Oops. I went to school with her, but don't remember speaking to her a whole hell of a lot. I do remember one haircut that she had in 6th year where it was sort of medium length but shaved underneath. I remind her of this every time I see her. She does not seem very impressed and why would she? It is not exactly the most remarkable thing in the ...

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My blog is rubbish apparently

so says Craig. It's ugly and amateurish. Harumph.

I would suggest it is at least marginally easier to navigate around than this abomination from the Belgian demi-gods, Soulwax

I have a Boston accent

at least, I do according to a "what American accent do you have" quiz I've just taken (on Jill's blog). It's probably not designed for Irish folk, but it makes sense when you think about it... I do sound quite like Tom Cruise in Far and Away.

I'm supposed to be doing something constructive

like writing people's thank yous, or looking for a job, or learning to cook, but instead I am surfing myspace looking for bands.

A conversation in the pub yesterday put it back in mind, so I have put my 16 year old hat on (that is, the one that makes me feel like a 16 year old, not the crap "Georgia Tech" baseball cap I got for my family holiday to Lanzarote in 1994), and am merrily surfing around looking for electro-punk-type bands to ask to be my friend.

Tomorrow night in the role call of sites I never use anymore - Ebay.

Fireworks

are great.

especially when you want to take a young lady out for the evening. It went so well I felt at one point that I was in a shite Richard Curtis film - I half expected a bumbling Hugh Grant to come stumbling out of the bonfire, screaming Osmonds lyrics as he rolled around on the ground trying to put out the flames.... Well, that might be pushing it a little, but I did get the impression it ...

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The Ian Paisley of South London?

I got a text off Lucy the other day, saying that she had seen Christian Guru Murphy at Herne Hill train station.

The name rang a bell, but I had not heard of this mystical religious Irishman. I had visions of a cross-legged man dressed in green, long wispy beard wafting in the breeze, giving out wisdom such as "where's me lucky charms?" and "sure it's only blarney, so it is" to his devoted ...

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Does anyone own a plane?

I hate trying to buy flights at Christmas. So far, the cheapest I have found involves flying at 6am in both directions, and even then it comes out a whopping 2p under the £100 mark. Quality.

Lump of coal and an orange for the niece and nephew this year then.

I love fireworks

can't wait til the weekend. Fireworks rock. Except for when they're set off in the middle of Brixton high street by a couple of little pricks, as happened at 8.30 this morning as I was on my way to work.

Funnily enough, scared the shit out of just about everyone in our gun-riddled suburb. They didn't look half as pretty fizzing about between Morleys department store and the bus stop as they will do high above Clapham Common tomorrow night, either.

I'm reading a book

This is quite a rare event for me. It's called "A Confederacy of dunces". It's very good. It's so well written in fact, and the main character is such an utter arsehole, that I want to reach into the pages and throttle him every time he opens his piggy fat mouth.

Lucy chose it for me from her mini library. I asked her for a book to read when I was leaving hers one night, and rather than just ...

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Happy Halloween

Mwah hah hah hahhhhh!!!!!

a knapsack on our backs

On Saturday, in a vain attempt to stay out of the pub for most of the day, we decided to walk along the Thames. Starting at London Bridge, we meandered through tourist hordes, massive riverside apartment complexes and one particularly shady industrial estate in Wandsworth, before flumping into a lovely wee bar called the Cats Back in Putney for a few well earned beers. A rough measurement on the ...

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Popularity?

I eventually got round to starting to delete some text messages from my inbox, as it finally reached bursting point around the 900 mark. They date back to the middle of July when I got my new phone. Excluding texts from my mum, 99% relate to meeting for a pint. What does that say?

Still, as I stood in the cold and drizzle, smoking my 2nd fag in a row (substitute for a lunch break), they did take me back to a very enjoyable summer.

Me man

Me make furniture.

Rrrarrrr.

Congratulations to Craig

Who managed to shave four minutes off his PB in his latest 10K on Sunday. Go on my son.

New link

I have linked to Jill the Candian's blog, partly as a thank you for being my only multiple sponsor (an extra tenner for beating Craig), and partly because I had a look at it and she was being stroppy about the fact she had a link to mine and I hadn't reciprocated.... How was I supposed to know?!

Anyway, it's got shagging in it, so you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than mine.

Craig's doing another 10k

On sunday.

Late night observations

1) I really am crap with girls.
2) You could see the stars above Brixton last night. Makes you realise what a rare event it is when it actually happens
3) there are a surprising number of lights still on in people's houses at 1am on a Thursday night.
4) I think they deal drugs out of the West Indian takeaway at the end of my road.

yep, I had lots of time to think after being out for a drink with a girl again, and walking home alone. Again.

Birthday fun

If I've got my sums right, clicking on the link below should take you to my birthday photos at the Kodak Gallery. Unfortunately my obsession with taking shite snaps and then assuming people want to see them has resulted in me filling my Flickr account.

The photos themselves are generally a bit rubbish, and in no way indicate the marvellous time I (and hopefully everyone else) had.

Click here!

here's a few to whet your appetite:

Sanj

Oh, where to begin with Sandra....? I'd better start somewhere, it's taken me far too long to say thank you to her.

Sandra 'I'd rather' Jack (or 'White' to use her correct middle name, but I can't resist thinking of the Reynolds Girls when I say it in my head. Kind of like when Gav used to call the ex-Coventry City and Celtic goalkeeper "Magnus 'Dubnobasswithmy' Hedman". But I digress) was one ...

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Just call me Tom

We caught the mouse in our kitchen this evening. Cheeky little bastard was wandering about on the kitchen counter at about a quarter to 7 whilst Colin and I watched telly in the next room. I'm not sure but I think it might have been suicide, as Hollyoaks was on at the time.

When we heard the trap go off, we looked round the partition wall and all but its head was sticking out of the trap and its ...

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The green green grass

If money were no object my next endeavour would be to visit all 50 of the world’s 'top views', as outlined in this morning’s Metro.

So far I’ve seen two – erm, London from the Thames, and the Antrim Coast Road, which is about 20 miles from where I grew up! It’s also been named as the second best stretch of road in the world after the highway from LA to San Francisco, so it’s not in bad company. ...

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Guat the hell?

Just been chatting to my friend Minta who is currently living in Guatemala.

Thanks to technology, I was able to see her! Sometimes my little brain gets a bit over-whelmed by the advancement of technology. She looked like she was sat in Streatham.

I've been spending my evening tarting up my birthday photos to stick online, so anyone who was there can relive the glorious day in the Falcon, and those who weren't can.... well, probably be bloody thankful they weren't, such is the shoddy quality of the shots (and the states of the people in them).

And I promise promise promise to finish saying thank you to everyone over the next wee while. It'll be worth the wait, honest.

Londoners

Sat on the tube this morning. Quite busy. Bloke stood in front of me farted the whole way to Victoria.

Farted.

In my face.

Of all the most disgusting, inconsiderate things to do, it takes the (air) biscuit.

Unfortunately I couldn't have a go at him as they were of the "SBD" variety. Not the best way to start my morning.

My birthday

Love is all around

Our wee country

Ain’t so wee anymore!!! Lawrie Sanchez, the greatest half-Ecuadorian Belfast boy to ever grace Windsor Park. Even Billy Bingham must be impressed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6061782.stm

On the escalator out of Brixton tube last night

I saw a guy that looked for all the world like an older, drug-addled Barry Lawrence. Not the star of the cult road movie "Vanishing Point" - the one from my Psychology class. It was weird.

Went out for a drink with a pretty Polish girl last night

We drank Sambucca. Had a lovely time til half one this morning. No snogging though. I’m crap at this stuff.

Some advice from your Uncle Tony

Don’t decide to go shopping for a new pair of trousers when your zip has gone a bit wonky. Despite your best efforts to be careful, said zip will break as you put your suit back on in the changing room for the last time, and you will be forced to get the tube home with your shirt untucked like you’ve just left school. And then you’ll have to turn up to work the next day with your fly held together with safety pins, because you had decided to go and buy new normal clothes rather than the spare suit you’ve needed for 6 months.

Like a gazelle....

a wee link to my storming finish in the 10K - for all you ladies out there....

So that you can spot me, I finish bang in the middle of the course about a second behind the fat ginger twat who decided to steal all my thunder by pelting past me in the last 20 metres.

I think the time on the counter is exactly 3.09.00 when I cross....

Click here


Alternatively, you can try and spot Craig here (approx. 3.23.52, to the left as you look at it), and Euan here (1.24.19 - dodgy shades on)

Dear all....

I've now linked to each sponsor's post down the left hand side of the screen (very professionally done I'm sure you'll agree....!).

Discovered that, not only have I not written a thank you for over a month, I've also thanked less than half of my sponsors! So perhaps by 2007 I might have managed it. Seriously though, the first two weeks of my 30th year (wah!) will be consumed with gushing tributes.

So, Jeff, Chris, Penny, Cheryl, Andrea, Suzanne, Mum, Jude, Lindsey, Katja, Lorna, Susi, "The Germans" (a.k.a Alex and Markus), Lisa, Chris, Im, Lee (cheers for the link btw), Cathy and Sandra (phew!) - keep an eye out.

The rest of you should feel bloody ashamed of yourselves.

I hate being indecisive... at least I think I do

Oh, what to do... 28 practice attempts and I'm still shite at it. Normally I would be in Glasgow / on my way up with the lahndahn posse at this point of the year, so I wouldn't have to worry, but now almost all the f*ckers have moved down here so there's no point.

So, answers on a postcard please.... what does a skint Irishman do for his birthday?

Suggestions from any potential attendees most gratefully accepted - remember, this is your Friday/Saturday night you have the potential to shape... If, of course, you can be arsed coming out for a bevvy.

Oh, and erm, it's this Friday, so not much time. Never one to leave things til the last minute....

Is it just me?

Or is it not supposed to be the middle of october?

Where can you see lions?

Only in Kenya!

Which is where my mum is going to be on the 7th of July! Yes, after much angst and wondering and assuming she hadn't got a place on the trip, my dear old maw will be jetting off to Nairobi next summer for a 10 day adventure trekking through the bush.

Go on that woman! So happy for her - think she's brickin it a wee bit though (previous furthest flung destination being Lanzarote).

...

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i found this on the internet

i think it is funny.

Why did I move to London again?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4800710.stm

Teenager on bus struck by brick

A 16-year-old girl has been treated in hospital after she was hit on the head by a brick which was thrown through a bus window.

The incident happened as the bus went through Orkney Drive in Ballymena's Ballykeel Two estate.

It is understood the teenager was not seriously injured in the incident, which happened at about 1630 BST.

A police spokesperson said that their inquiries "are currently ongoing".

Photos of Run London (and the aftermath)

Perfect weather, loads of friends dragging their hungover arses out of bed to support me, no work the next day, a great gig by my mate Kev's band the Stellars, and rounded off with a few beers in the Dogstar and Lizzi setting the benchmark of friendship by cleaning the stagnant bucket of water out from under my sink for me.

Perfick

Thanks to (in no particular order): Murray, Lucy, Pino, Stella, ...

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I hate the 21st century

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Legend

Broadbanded up again

woohoo!!

will get onto writing up the rest of the many tributes I need to do. Thanks for all your support for the run guys - I hope I did you proud. Stay tuned for photos etc. Suffice to say I had a lovely and ultimately drunken day.

For those who are interested, I crossed the line in 51 minutes and 11 seconds (apparently they rounded me up from the text message on Sunday!) and finished 3,383rd for Team South, out of a total of 10,906 - overall I came in a respectable 6,820th out of 21,973 overall.

Tat's oot

Fer the lads.

And on the piss.

Check me

RUN LONDON: YOUR OFFICIAL TIME IS: 00:51:12. CONGRATULATIONS ON A GREAT RUN. CHECK WWW.RUNLONDON.COM SOON FOR THE RACE RESULT AND YOUR VIDEO FINISH.

and now.....

......the end is near my friends, my dear readers, my loyal fans.

In 14.25 hours time, I shall be lined up in a gaggle of excited and fitter-than-me people, jostling for position on the starting line, quite possibly with a small trickle of effluence working its way through the mesh pant things inside my shorts.

How has this day come so quickly? Seems like no time at all that I got Craig's email ...

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Sober musings

Spent a lovely day in the sun pottering about, buying what I thought were trendy new shorts (actually very baggy new shorts - I'm going to look like I'm wearing a skirt), getting an aerodynamic haircut, and then strolling back to meet people in the pub.

Absolutely beautiful day, I just spent the whole walk looking around and absorbing what was going on around me. Amateur footballers playing on ...

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Load those carbs baby

So this is what it's like

When you aren't hungover on a saturday morning

Star of the next Aphex twin video?

Aren't mobile phones wonderful?

Thanks

Thanks to Andrea, Cheryl, Fiona and Tanya for their promise of sponsorship. What is it about my work colleagues that they don't trust the internet for carrying out banking transactions?!

Can't believe how feckin minging it is outside - our atrium is so dark it looks like we're working in a cave. And I haven't been for lunch yet - bah....

Mr Hyperactive "oh my God, the weather is just so exciting I really think I might soil myself" BBC weatherman last night assured me that the sun will return for tomorrow and Sunday, with race friendly temperatures of 16-17 degrees. Can't see it at the mo, but then I can't see the other side of the street either.

A massive unkempt bush

That's what's outside my new flat. Completely obscures the front window of the flat underneath.

Had my last training run last night; had to cut it short at about 40 mins/7km as my calves were starting to tighten up again. Hopefully they'll be alright for the race.

Am quite sad that the training is over now... I've really enjoyed the whole build up to the race and everyone has been so supportive ...

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23541

remember that number. It shall be but a blur as it whizzes past anyone coming to watch on Sunday.

Probably because I'm getting chased by a beefy bloke with a glint in his eye. I think it's safe to say I won't be pulling any ladies in my official race t-shirt.

"Snug" is the word that springs to mind.

Things to do after the race

Learn to cook
Learn to be a photographer
Get a girlfriend
Stop drinking for a month
Stop smoking
Get a new job
Buy a new wardrobe (the contents, not the actual piece of furniture)


Things to do immediately after the race:

Drink beer
Smoke tabs
Act like a fanny

Sarah's just texted me...

....to ask what time she should arrive to watch me on Sunday. My stomach has started back-flipping. I think this is what's known as "pre-race nerves".

Come on! Get ready, get on your feet...

Watched ‘Ant and Dec – a celebrity marriage’ last night. Notable for two things:-
Jenny Powell is looking feckin old these days. Which by default makes me old because I remember when she was young, cute and perky on Number 73.

That girl I met once who is now a newspaper editor was on the show as one of the ‘talking heads’. Bizarrely I recognised her before her name appeared on screen. Funny how these things stick with you, innit?

Wonder will never cease… I actually did something run related with Craig, as you can see from the photo below. Ok, it wasn’t training or anything, but it still counts. We picked up our t-shirts and digital chip thingys last night from Nike Town. So it’s official – I have a number and everything! The t-shirt looks a bit gay to be honest, but it seems like it will fit me (for some reason I went ...

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It's on

Craig (the one in the farmer's shirt) gets his kit

Reality Bites

I'm off to pick up my t-shirt and digital chip after work from the Nike shop. Reality is setting in and my stomach is starting to churn a little bit at the thought that I am going to actually be running a 10k in public in less than 4 days time... I plan to get over my apprehension by buying myself a pair of running shorts as well, ones that cover my knees and make me look cool. Maybe a shiny ...

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Life after running

Am thinking of teaching myself to cook at long last to fill the void left by the race being over.

Gonna rename the blog "See that Tattie Burn"

The Final Countdown...

I have broken my target sponsorship, thanks to my overly generous mother giving me 60 pounds! Over £400 raised!

This despite the fact that loads of people I previously would have classed as close friends have not sponsored me. I have decided that after I finally finish thanking everyone individually for donating money, I am going to turn to those who didn’t. Where sponsors get a glowing ...

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I kicked my speaker

Ouch

Nice to see that London Lite has it's priorities straight.

Apparently a drunk hoff equals 2 kids getting shot

One week to go...

Feeling the burn.

Paper cuts

As a psychology graduate, I naturally have a healthy disregard for horoscopes. However, I do still read them, mainly to see if there’s an implication I might pull in the near future. According to this morning’s Metro, whilst I am going to be on fire tomorrow at Cargo for Im’s birthday party, today I should "stick to doing the filing".

Who am I to argue with a higher celestial being?

The nights are drawing in.....

There’s only one thing more frustrating than getting locked in the park after a run.

Getting locked in the park when you can see your flat on the other side of the gate. And you live on the opposite side to the only available exit.

The Guns of Brixton

Raced home from work last night to squeeze my run in before dark. Got the tube home, then jumped on the bus outside Woolies to save me having to walk, and got stuck at the traffic lights for ages as loads of sirens wailed past. "What a gwan?" I aksed myself (cos I is from Sarf Lahdan, innit?). As we edged across the junction of Acre Lane and Coldharbour Lane, the number of ambulances and paddy ...

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Jirting

There were three things that happened to me in the last few days, which I would not have imagined just a few short months ago:

1) Last night I was a bit late to meet everyone before Im’s birthday. As I neared the bus stop the 37 (notoriously unreliable bus) was just pulling away. Ordinarily, this would be an excuse for a swear word and a fag, but on this occasion I decided to run after it…. Must ...

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Inner ear infection?

I think the wonky floors in my flat are beginning to mess with my head. Am sat at my desk at work and feel like I’m facing down a slope… Very weird. Mind you, this building was obviously built by the same guys as my flat, so it may be real.

Centurion

This is my 100th post on the blog... I was going to try and say something momentous, but words fail me. Thank you all for your support so far, and hope you can all make it on Sunday week to watch me hobble past.

I've been wondering whether to continue posting after the event - I'd like to but unsure of content. There were machinations in the pub last night as to the next 'project' but I am sworn ...

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Training update

My knees hurt. Lots. I think it’s because my legs are so spindly that they can’t support my body weight, despite the fact I only weigh 11 stone.
Was at another office in Chatham for the day yesterday. Felt like I was retracing the steps of a Stuart king as I travelled back to Londinium via Rochester (and Argos Extra) in my Chevrolet. Which sounds like a good car but as Colin pointed out, it’s ...

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Mo money

Thanks to Lindsey for another whopping 15 quid! Time is drawing short now my friends, with a mere week and a half to go until the big day... I am currently on hold to UK Online trying to transfer my feckin broadband, so I can get all your tributes written before the bloody race!

Who needs pickfords

Thanks guys, you are legends. I don't deserve you

New flat

Same old priorities

Getting old

I remember not so long ago I was working in a contact centre for Lloyds TSB in Glasgow. Every time we had a dress down day, there I was in my Bench combats with my trendy t-shirt and trainers, every inch the wannabe cutting edge urban clubber I believed I was. I remember looking at the late-twentysomethings with a mixture of disdain and pity as they rocked up in their sensible atire.

It's dress down day today at work. As I sit here in my navy jeans and plain hooded top, I can't help but weep silently for my lost youth.

Excuses

sure enough, two weeks to go and Craig has started to bottle it. His latest blog entry implies a potential broken toe...

I have a potentially dislocated knee, but you don't hear me whinging, do you?

I'm not homeless any more!

Woohoo! All references are back and credit checking has gone through unscathed!! I have a new flat! And it's huge and right next to the park - bet you're jealous. Not that I've, you know, seen it yet or anything, but I'm sure it's great!

Am off to pick up my bank draft for £1200 and then go to the pub for a celebratory pint or two.... Now what about that sentence makes me feel slightly uneasy?

I should check before being rude

I stand corrected! Five shiny new sponsors... Thank you Katja, Lorna, Susi, Lisa and "The Germans". I don't know if this last one is my friends Pino and Stella, or the entire German nation. I hope it's the former, as I would have expected a little more from a nation of 80 million people, despite their well-publicised economic problems.

Thank you everyone, you have taken me over the £300 mark now, and I will of course be writing wonderful things about you all (maybe I'll generalise in the case of Germany, I'd be here all day otherwise).

Tx

Run Update. Or "Rundate"

Did 8K last night, from Kev and Craig’s (and Scott’s) to the park, once around it and back again. Am getting worried about my left knee… It’s been getting sore each time I’ve been out recently and I could feel it clicking as I got to the end last night. It’s probably cos I’m wearing the wrong shoes – not for me the "go into a specialist store and buy appropriate footwear". I just went to ...

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LLTC

Yup, it's official, ladies love Tattie Chomper.

Got a text from a lady today to say she loves my blog... unfortunately she told me on the condition I didn't mention her name. That now makes 3 self confessed "blog groupies"! All women as well!

Grrr....