Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009 - 22:09

Three things I have never done are:- a) eaten cheesecake in New York, b) headbutted ex-Everton winger Anders Limpar, and c) navigated my way from Plymouth to your kitchen counter using only McDonalds egg McMuffins.

1. Firstly, a sense of achievement from the day, by virtue of the fact I managed to write a couple of audits on my laptop this afternoon. They weren't the biggest pieces of work, but they've been hanging over my head for a wee while, and they needed doing.

2. Was sitting on the shitter earlier on, reading an organic chemistry textbook (yes, I do realise how bizarre and probably 'sad ass' that admission is!) and realised that I wish I could recall a bit more of the Chemistry I knew when I was eighteen or nineteen. I'm partic frustrated that I can't remember what NMR spectrometry is all about. Something to do with reading the different 'environments' that hydrogen and carbon atoms in organic compounds have, yes? I'll have to do some more reading.

3. I'm damned sure that I've made this point before in recent months/years, but I do wish I still wrote a litte poetry. I used to enjoy doing so in my teenage years, but haven't found the time or inspiration as an adult. I just recall getting a lot of pleasure from writing (and later reading back on) stuff during the summer following my 'A'-Levels.

4. How come some months double as girl's names, and some don't? I mean, June, May and April are pretty established names in English (n.b. I'm not taking into account the recent silly Americanist viewpoint of parents naming babies whatever they want, regardless of a lack of tradition) but you don't get many peeps called February. I suppose you can look at the derivation.. isn't it the case that September-December are just Latin translations of 'seventh month' to 'tenth month', from back in the day we had the Julian calender.

5. Everton were the first team to join Chelsea as certainly in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, by virtue of the fact they got the better of Villa today. At Goodison they triumphed 3-1, and looked (OK, 'sounded' - I didn't watch the game live) confident. The televised FA Cup match had some high quality football played by both sides, and it's fair share o'excitement, it's just a shame the result wasn't as I desired (Derby County 1-4 Man Cheating CUn[i]ted) and flattered the Premier League side. The Midlanders played better than that scoreline suggests.

6. Lunch (taken at about two-thirty this afternoon) was granary rolls with cheese and chilli tomato pickle, followed by a couple of cereal bars. I drank a can of McEwans Export. Tea was taken at quarter to eight, and consisted of peanut butter-spreaded oatcakes.

7. It still amazes me that something as simple as people opening boxes can be a very popular TV show. I just can't get into 'Deal or No Deal', but I know it's very popular. I just would love to know more about the exact details of how the banker makes his offers, what algorthym (sp?) is used.

8. I'm a tad displeased that I've reached a bit of a 'wall', so to speak, with reading that virology book I've been enjoying in recent weeks. It's funny that I've found it so much of a struggle to progress through it in a timely manner, 'cause it's interesting stimulating stuff. I guess non-fiction is just easier to put down than a good story book, and I suppose being tired on the way home from work has had an impact too.

9. Thing is, I've loads of new books that I want to get into - several from Christmas, as well as the five or more I've picked up cheap in the last few weeks. I think I'll tackle the Will Self one ('Liver'?) I got during the winter festivities next. Perchance I'll have a good sesh with my virussy book later tonight before bed, or make sure I finish it on the train tomorrow.

10. It wasn't pretty (I in fact was saying to my Ma last night on the phone that I expected the match not to be a partic enjoyable spectacle) but Ireland managed to beat Italy in Rome this afternoon. It was pretty close for the first half hour, with Italy scoring a few penalties and preventing the Irish from getting into their stride. In the second half, however, the game fell apart and the Irish got a few tries. The final score was 38-9 to the men in green, which flattered them (inflated as it is by a couple of late breakaway tries).

11. I've not exercised my democratic right and voted for any of the new Walkers crisps flavours yet. I've not even yet tried any (let alone all) of the flavours. If I've any initial pre-judiced preferences, I reckon onion bhaji sounds nicest, but I'd like to try crispy duck as well.

12. Y'all will be thrilled and excited to hear that my complints about how difficult it was proving to be to win frames against Ronnie O'Criminal-scum-I-am on my xbox snooker game, well I've been in better form today and am 7-5 up at present point where the game is saved. Yes, I KNOW you're thrilled to hear about that :-)

13. A batch of celeb 'Come Dine With Me' started this evening. Biggins is INCREDIBLY annoying and offensive w.r.t. aggressive campness and pretending to hate stuff put in front of him. Julia Thingumybob is someone I've a prior favouritism for from her other programmes (rock climbing and Wainwright's Walks spring to mind) but did get a bit tipsy silly. Edwina Curry is intelligent but probably a bit abrasive. Phil Olivier seems like a nice chap, aside of his obvious attractiveness (and I thought he was a decent bloke in 'The Games' a few years back) but he did come over a little immature at the start.

14. Oops.. I thought I'd only got one dinner to comment on (as is usual for the programme format) but they've done them all in one show. Anyhow, the thing was generally a fairly enjoyable watch, though spoilt massively by Twatty Biggins being a complete fuckface. Got me thinking about how utterly unacceptable such behaviour would be if a bloke was being very very crude towards a woman, as Biggins was towards Philip. I don't care whether someone wants to sleep with people of the opposite sex, or the same sex as themselves, but if they're a cunt.. they are a cunt.

15. I was very disppointed to see Biggins win, as I thought Phil did the best evening, best food and a bit o'classiness. But the fat (because he's full of himself, or full of shit?) gayer won. Ah, spose it doesn't matter 'cause it's all for charidee..

16. 'Free Agents' the other day was quite good. I'm not sure how it's gonna work w.r.t. turning a pilot into a series, but.. the acting seems to be good, and there's been enough of a mix of poignancy and humour to give it the opportunity to prove wothiness regarding tuning in again and giving it further regard.

17. Not that I'm wanting to dominate my diary entry with sporting stuff, but in a sense that's a lot of what many weekends involve for a lot of people (me included). Andy Murray beat Rafa Nadal in the final of the ABN Amro World Tournament, returning to the form that the Scotsman was showing at the start of 2009.

18. Mmm cricket. Did I mention the Second Test was abandoned on Friday after ten balls, because the outfield in Antigua was judged to be unsafely sandy? A hastily rearranged Third Test began today at another ground on the island, and England made a good start after being put in to bat, both openers reaching fifty as the tourists passed one hundred for no loss. By the close of play things had moved on. Strauss got a wonderful captain's hundred and fifty (169 actually), Cook and Shah scored fifties before getting out before sixty, and England closed on 301/3 with Pietersen not out overnight.

19. So you're selling my things off with no regret. I'm sorry now those scenarios are dead. The person that I need, I haven't met. The people that I've met, I didn't need. So as I preserve in ethanol, well she's still casting those dead spells... Oh, and nothing's like I want it...

20. Anyhow, time I did some ironing, methinks. Nowt to wear tomorrow yet, which'll never do. I'm not sure I've the body to turn up to work in just my pants and socks.

LISTENING TO:- I tried that freaky hypnotism CD (which my mad ex sent me a year or two ago) again the other night, and very involving it is too. As open-minded as I am about such things as hypnotism (OK, so I might be a mixture of 'slightly cynical' and 'open minded' - I guess I'm just seeking proof) I certainly wasn't expecting much. It does have relaxing properties, however, even if these are just resultant from such stuff as breathing deeply and properly, and lying very still. Meditative, as opposed to parapsychotic.

The FA Cup Quarter Final Draw, for what it's worth:-

Blackburn/Coventry v Chelsea
Swansea/Fulham v Manchester United
Cardiff/Arsenal or Burnley v Sheff United/Hull City
Everton v Middlesboro/West Ham