Safety advice

Apparently, this lighter shouldn't be given to Tintin when he's grumpy

750 up

Yep, my 750th post to STTR.

It's fair to say I've kind of limped towards this particular landmark, with posts appearing sporadiacally if at all over the last few months - the summer of '09 has been a busy one and as I've noted before, the more blog-worthy events that take place, the less likely I am going to have time to post about them. Ooh, the irony, eh?

Anyway, things are ticking along very nicely. The running continues (bettered my PB by 40s on my 5K route on Wednesday. Considering demanding a gender test) in the build up to the 10K on September 27 at Hampton Court. In two weeks time I'll be wandering around the (hopefully not muddy) field that is 'Bestival' and then I'm off to Poland for two weddings and a 70th.

Immediately on my return, I start my new job - yes, new job. Same company, essentially the same project manage-y thing I've been doing for the last few months, but it's permanent, in a completely different part of the company and a little extra cash. Looking forward to it but a teensy bit terrified as well, especially given the state my mind and body may be in come 21 September.

Things went a little crazy mid-week - first of all I went for dinner with J (something that never happens). Admittedly it was only because we had a 2 for 1 voucher, which turned out to have expired, but it was lovely. The red wine got us dreaming about Paris and although I don't think I was still drunk the next day, I spontaneously booked Eurostar tickets for just before Christmas. Works on two levels - J's never seen Paris and I've never been on the Eurostar. I don't know who's looking forward to it more.

To cap it all, I then paid £50 deposit for the start of my next big adventure.... Not confirmed yet but the team's assembled and the deadline is looming. It's big, it's life defining, it's....probably not going to happen. I don't do things like this. I will keep believing though, and as of 1st October it should be all systems go..... More to follow.

The demise of an insitution....

Ok, so maybe the title's a tad melodramatic (and, well, untrue), but it was with a fair degree of sadness I read the other day that London freesheet 'The Londonpaper' is to be closed down as it's not making enough money.

Putting aside the bare fact that I think it shits all over its tabloid comic rival, 'London Lite', I do have a personal reason for lamenting its demise - this is the rag that, in its infinite wisdom, decided to publish not one, but two of my attempts at journalism.

It'd be a good story to be sat here looking back on the 9th of December 2006 and getting nostalgic about 'the first day of the rest of my life', but as you probably know it wasn't the launchpad to a career entertaining and enthralling the nation with my pithy and astute observations on life. My second column, written about 9 months later in a drunken haze wasn't a patch on the first if I do say so myself and since then I'm stuggling to come up with blog posts, never mind 400 words. The fact is, after being able to write a first column when there was no pressure on, I couldn't follow it up once there was even a modicum of expectation.

So, column writing is quite difficult. I realise this now. The Londonpaper gave me the opportunity to test out my writing, they felt it was worth sharing with the rest of London and my fellow citizens gave me their feedback on how good it was. Had I been built for this kind of thing, or even made more of an effort, I might have done something more with it. But I didn't (yet), and that's fine. But thanks to them I'm not sitting here lamenting the fact that I'd love to be able to do something like that if only I had a chance. I have no idea how many people actually used it as a launchpad to bigger and better things, but judging by the amount of times contributors claimed to be "freelance writers", I would imagine at least a couple were bolshei enough to make it through.

Farewell Londonpaper. I shall miss reading you on my way home from work. And I shall miss Em, the cartoon character intended for girls but who I secretly have a bit of a crush on. Without realising it, picking up a copy from a friendly purple-clad distributor on the way out of the office had become part of life and my trip home won't be the same without it.

More helicopter based park action

Our tranquilitly shattered when the local copper chopper arrived to hover virtually 50ft above us looking for naughty people

Amazing what you can do with a drunk Pole and some salad

Brockwell Park, today.

Complete with airborne "There's only one Freddie Flintoff" banner in the distance over the Oval

Stuck halfway through day two of the great Sicilian Odyssey

We were in Italy for a week. At my current rate of documentation, it will take over 5 months to post about our experiences.

I make Stone Roses, Salman Rushdie and Charles Darwin look like Twitter users in comparison.

Melting

It's with great pleasure I can report that I am uncomfortably clammy and itchy. My windows are open, the mozzies are buzzing around and I am looking forward to a night's fitful sleep.

All it takes is one comment from someone north of Watford (monsoon, freezing cold, windy) to make me realise that I'm much more of a warm weather person. For now, anyway.

I almost got put on my hoop by a small dog this evening

I was leaving the park after jogging round a couple of laps, in a fair degree of pain, when a puppy came bounding towards the hedge. Didn't notice me - had eyes only for some indeterminate glittery / feline thing in the bushes. It became clear that if we both stayed on our current route there was going to be a collison, so at the last minute I skidded to a stop and tried to skip round the back of the dog. Of course, faced with an arm-flailing human in a bright red t-shirt almost on top of it (despite it not having noticed me in the slightest beforehand), the dog slammed on the anchors too and I ended up doing a strange kind of steeplechase-style straddle jump over the dog's arse.

I did the only thing I could do - i.e. tutted loudly, shook my head vigorously and muttered 'fugsake!' as I continued out through the park gate. It only took a few steps for it to sink in what a tool I probably seemed, getting all up myself about the fact a dog was on the path. In a park. Who'd have seen that coming?

Thankfully, I was snapped out of my mood within a few seconds. A family was coming the other way along the pavement, and when I looked up I noticed the little boy and girl - probably around 3 or 4 years old - both imitating my running style and grinning their wee heads off as I passed. Even I'm not that much of a grouch, and smiled back as they mock-powered their way past me. And I have to admit, I hope that they were accurate in their portrayal of me. Not a bad looking technique, if I do say so myself.

Perseid meteors

So, anyone south of Watford see any meteors last night? A combination of southwest facing windows, central London location, heavy cloud cover and general laziness succeeded in ensuring we saw nothing whatsoever.

Are they still going tonight? The clouds are gone, my view is perfect, but alas, still facing the wrong direction and gazing out at an orange, light-polluted sky. I keep thinking I see shooting stars but it turns out to be just another flight on final approach to Heathrow. You'd think the flashing red meteors would have given it away sooner. Ooh! There's another one! Oh. No. That'll be the police helicopter shining its search light on Brixton.

Can tell it's Thursday

...as I crack open a second beer of the evening at the ungodly hour of 11pm. This is living, my friends.

Pink knuckle ride

Some called us crazy. Some gazed at us with misty eyed awe. But all agreed, the Log Flume at Harbour Park, Littlehampton ("where the Fun never sets!") is second only to going over Niagra Falls in a barrel when it comes to water-related bravery.

We tamed the beast and walked away with our heads held high. Women fainted. Men nodded in gruff respect. I toddled off to take a photo of the sheer scale of the trial we had just endured (below). And everyone chipped in for the souvenir photo once they'd picked themselves back up off the floor and wiped the tears from their eyes.

Shiny happy people

Back from a marvellous trip to the seaside at the weekend. The sun shone, the skin sizzled, the lobster look was everywhere, and at least one humiliating photo of me was taken when my guard was down at the sea side. Admittedly, by a photographer who wouldn't even take his shirt off, never mind the plunge into the glistening English channel.

Camping is the shizzle. What's more, have convinced 'er indoors that it's a good idea to the point we're planning on our next trip. Only problem is the fast approaching autumn - although part of me quite likes the idea of sheltering in the tent from a rainstorm.

If you're ever in the Littlehampton area, I highly recommend Harbour Park - the Alton Towers of the West-Sussex-between-Worthing-and-Bognor coastal area. The Waltzer and Dodgems were fun, but without doubt the highlight was the death defying, knuckle-whitening Log Flume. J and I braved the terror (as pictured above), returning to our group battered, soaked and exhausted, but basking in the unadulterated devotion of a scarcely believing public.... I later took a photo of the South Coast Niagra Falls to be able to show my grandkids the kind of crazy stuff I did as a youngster. Pretty scary, I think you'll agree.

MLIA

Genius website - but be warned, horrendously addictive (see below post re: interview prep / horrendous performance link). Funny, touching, the whole nine yards of human life laid out anonymously for your entertainment. One day I'll think up something good enough to post on the site. MLIA.

Thanks to my compadre forgetful_chimp for remembering something other than where he's stashed his bananas for long enough to tell me about it.

My Life Is Average

The more observant amongst you will have noticed a lack of blogging from me this week as job interview prep took precedence (it was today - don't ask. I like my current job anyway).

Alas, your breath will have to be baited for a little while longer, as I'm off camping in Hampshire this weekend to celebrate the lovely Laura's birthday.

I shall return next week to continue the sporadic 'adventures in Sicily' series, and fill you in on what bin a gwan (in the local parlance) in my 'hood' of late.

Have a good weekend all......

Procrastination of the highest order

Things to do tonight:

• find notes for my interview on Friday
• write a blog post about La Rosa dei Venti Villa D'Arte - the amazing farmhouse we stayed in for a night in Sicily
• finally put the photos my mum has been asking for for months onto a CD
• sort out a duff battery to send back to the supplier for a replacement

What I actually did tonight:

• played about with photos on Yearbook Yourself

Love it!