There is blood on our hands again

(From the song 'Blood on our Hands' by Death From Above 1979).

What I'm clumsily trying to say is that here's a blog what I made whilst I should've been doing something better and that if you're reading it then you should be doing something better too. Also, the fact that you and I have the time and resources to respectively make and read this gumpf is why the World is so screwed.

30 June 2005

Socks, Curry and Star Wars.

I would've described yesterday in an entry yesterday... but by the time I got home I just wanted to sleep. So here it is... yesterday, today.
I only had to accomplish two things today and I managed to leave them till the last minute... but I got them done. Put my birthday damaged coat in for dry cleaning and put two birthday cameras in for developing that may or may not prove to be a very expensive waste of film.
Other than that... microwaving your socks after stepping in water from a leaking washing machine is a bad idea... if you're me at least. Then again, setting it for two minutes was probably a little excessive and the result was several large scorch marks and a worrying amount of smoke.
The Kismet curryhouse on City Road has two "(hot)" curries and one "(spicy)" vegetarian curry. So I went for vegetable kofta jalfrezi which was one of the "(hot)" ones... and it was quite hot.
Then late night star wars... It was the newest ultra-digital-remastered-fucked-with-messed-about-DVD-original-trilogy type affair... and I managed to stay until just after they escaped the death star before I had to leave.
Woohoo... what a day.

25 June 2005

Sweet merciful jeezoos

Scrubs came!! Two days early! Thank you PLAY if you weren't just a website I would offer to have your babies... I may offer anyway.

My pointless existence now has meaning once more! I must use this new found power wisely lest it should go to my head... Apparently the second season comes out in September so I may have to ration these season one episodes in equally spaced gaps until season two is resting in my DVD player. Obsessive? Screw you.

La-la-la-la-la got season one of scrubs la-la-la-la-la.

I do of course have every Futurama episode sat on my shelf and as yet unwatched... it helps having seen them all at least five times each and some episodes several times that. Oh-boy oh-boy oh-boy.

24 June 2005

Sigh...

Only love can break your heart. It's amazing how so much time can pass and yet the slightest thing can leave you feeling really shaken... I'll pull myself together in a minute...
As a mechanism for encouraging procreation it may have it's benefits... but to me it's merely a hindrance to happiness.
It's probably testament to how daft in the head I am when I can find lines from a batman film to be very profound. Something like - "The memory of a loved one becomes poison in your veins until one day you catch yourself wishing they'd never existed because it would spare you from your pain". Sigh...
What a bag of shite.

International system of minimum wages.

If poverty in the developing world is to be effectively tackled then an international minimum wage is a necessity.

Recognizing:
It is the right of any company or organisation to move labour to any country it desires and to do so within marketplace conditions. Also, that the developing countries that these companies move to often have little marketable resources other than cheap labour and to rob them of this resource would make their situation worse not better.

However, it is often the case that the host countries will impose severe restrictions on it's people's civil liberties in order to benefit from the new source of revenue. The governments in these countries are quite often corrupt and inefficient who do not consult it's people on such decisions as in more developed and liberal countries. Anti-union activities, poor working conditions, long working hours, terrible job security and starvation wages are all problems.

The out-sourcing of labour to poorer countries also leaves unemployment at higher levels in those developed countries that pay decent living wages. The organisations that can afford to move production or other services to another country (often over great distance) can also afford to pay slightly better wages to it’s workers. These wages will still be cheaper than those paid to workers in the developed world and so the benefits of moving will still be apparent.

Proposing:
If a system of minimum wages based on an individual country's basic cost of living could be enacted then the cost would be minimised and the developing countries would still have their advantage of cheaper labour. These levels could be determined by a new organisation within the United Nations that would monitor changes in the global marketplace and the cost of living within individual countries.

This would help make the global labour marketplace more free and fair by denying individual countries the ability to unduly interfere by purposely making labour conditions worse to attract new business. It may also lessen the overall amount of aid that is needed by the people of the developing world.

[It might never happen in the real world but at least I can suggest it here and for my country in Nation States]

23 June 2005

It's up to fate now...

Finished my CV and cover letter and posted it off this morning. Thanks to Andy, Dave and Liam for helping me with it! Just have to see how well it's received now... It certainly is a load off though and God knows it's taken long enough to do.

It turns out that Batman is at least as enjoyable the second time round although I did notice one more plot hole... what can you do? Christian Bale is the best batman since George Clooney. heh heh. But seriously Batman Begins is probably on a par with the first two... maybe. It's definitely not as gay as the 2nd two and no where near Batman and Robin in terms of sheer campness.

Just booked a table at what the Thompson Directory lists as Cardiff's only Mexican restaurant.. that's a bit of a poor show really. I have it on good authority that's it's pretty good so I suppose that makes up for the lack of other choices. Just need reply to the barrage of text messages that accompanied my informing people of the arrangements. I'd rather it didn't go tits up... but chances are...

22 June 2005

Another dreaded sunny day

Five days till Scrubs.

Almost finifshed my CV!! Only taken my a month to do! Hopefully I shall be able to hand it in to some places soon.

Going to see Batman Begins again later on. Apparently it improves with a second viewing... so should be pretty good! It was a damn sight better than Batman and Robin, not even in the same league.
Anyways... Bleh...

21 June 2005

Goodnight Blog.

Six days till Scrubs.

20 June 2005

My continuing love affair with Reading...

17th - 18th April 2003 - Spent the night at Reading train station after getting trains all the way from Amsterdam with no problems and getting back to Britain during a rail strike. I have never been more pissed off with the world than on the morning of the 18th of April. The night was spent in the cold and comfortless train station, avoiding drunks and homeless people who all wanted to kill Andrew and I (that's how we felt anyway). The highlight of the long night (and it was long) was the discovery of a soup machine that I believe saved my life by dispensing an admittedly overpriced but extremely well received cup of tomato soup. When the station began to come back to life at about six or seven in the morning we had to buy tickets back to Cardiff and although I can't remember the exact price of them I know it made me want to burn the place down using the power of my hatred and fury.
Strike one Reading.

22nd - 24th August 2003 - The 2003 Reading festival. My first music festival and what an eye opener (and nose closer). I'm not exactly an outdoor type person and camping over this weekend wasn't the most fun I've ever had but I did do it the next year as well so I can't have hated it that much. Being surrounded by a thousand drunken assholes isn't my idea of heaven though. The music was very good and it was the first time I'd seen Metallica so I was very very pleased with that. However, I managed to lose/have my phone stolen (I didn't see it being taken but the last place I had it was in my pocket, there is a chance it fell out though). I would still have that phone now If I hadn't lost it... It did everything I wanted it to do and everyone knows how durable and functional the Nokia 3310 is. It's even more annoying because I wanted to have an old phone and have people attempt to ridicule me for having it. This is when I could start ranting about 'consumer culture and mindless drones' etc... and I love a good rant.
Strike two Reading.
Besides that, I discovered how little I enjoyed the overall festival experience... the dirt, the smells of the toilets, the overpriced... everything, the queues for... everything, the drunken assholes, the sober assholes, tents, the outdoors, other people etc..
After the festival had finished and it was time to go home, we got in a taxi for the journey back to the train station. I had been wearing a money belt the whole weekend (being the security conscious type I can be sometimes) but was thoroughly sick of the thing because it wasn't exactly comfortable to wear under my clothing (if only I'd put my phone in it). It contained all my money and my train tickets and I left it in the taxi... Sure, that was my own stupid fault and all the more stupid considering the purpose of the thing. Whilst I accept that it was primarily my fault, I'm blaming Reading because by this time I had already begun to despise the place... and because I can blame it. I did manage to get it back though... I had to run/walk all the way to the festival in an attempt to find the taxi I'd just taken along that very route. Luck was in my court for at least part of that weekend I suppose but I'm not about to attribute that to Reading in the same way as I attribute bad luck to the place... cos I don't want to. The whole thing was annoying, tiring and time consuming and so I'm blaming Reading once more.
Strike three Reading.

19th June 2005. Buk and Skit festival. As a one day type event I thought that the lack of tents and camping would make the whole experience more palatable and it was. God knows I wasn't about to go to a a weekend festival this year,not after Reading 2003 (see above) and Download 2004 (which was musically fantastic but was slightly worse than Reading the previous year in terms of general campingness horribility). The weather was fucking beautiful and I've managed to get sunburnt but I'm not blaming Reading for that in a rare act of magnanimity that may shock and amaze you (don't let it, there's plenty more moaning to come). The music was mostly good - Reuben kicked ass as usual, Sikth were good (and I've never been a huge fan) and Biffy Clyro sounded characteristically good once they'd sorted out the levels for the bass guitar. Getting water was fun... they'd run out in all the stalls so we had to queue for half an hour plus in the bar (which was annoying but expected by now I suppose). The fun really began when we got back to Reading train station... that bloody place. I think they must have built it on the site of an ancient Indian train station or something.
We got there early anyway... very early. Our train was due at 22:35 and we got there at about nine ish. Good start... I wasn't worried though, waiting an hour and a half wasn't gonna be too bad. That is until we waited two and three quarters of an hour for a very much delayed train. This whilst being accosted by a rambling nutter and being very badly informed of the delay and reasons behind it. I hadn’t had a very good night’s sleep the night before this and was now very tired. No more magnanimity here, it was all Reading’s fault. By the time the day was over I was in a foul mood and it was due to Reading once more. Damn you Reading, you shan’t be seeing me again any time soon.

To make matters worse Blogger decided to make me sign in again after typing all of this out and so I lost all of it… The curse of Reading again? But this time I was ready, I’m on to you Reading – I had copied most of it into a word file just in case something went wrong. Ha! You lose this round Reading!

18 June 2005

There's always someone as horny as you are ugly.

Nine days till Scrubs.

Reading the Maddox website again... got "There's always someone as horny as you are ugly" from an article of his about fat women who wear midriff revealing tops and think that it's justified if it help them "get laid". This website rocks so much I'm going to put an official link to it in my links list... when I can be bloody well bothered.

Managed to find stuff on the site which is totally offensive though. It's not for the faint hearted or anyone without enough of a sense of humour to laugh about stuff that they hold dear. An example of this is his article - "Christopher Reeve was an asshole". No... not even this is 'too far' for this Maddox guy.

Well I thought it was funny anyway... I firmly believe that there is 'almost' nothing 'too far' when it comes to humour as there is very little that we do that is important anyway. In the grand scheme of things.... but that may be down to my rather cheery way of looking at life right now.

Oh well... it's quarter past three and I think I'm tired...

15 June 2005

Downloading 'happy'

Tick these boxes. Fill out these lists. Install these emotions. Update these responsibility patches. Empty this recycle bin...

When you spend so much time thinking about lists you should be filling out or completing... and the time spent in front of a computer... If only things were that simple.

Set a torrent to download some 'happy' or some 'success'. Update the program that controls your brain and get the latest version. Perform a system scan on your life and delete unwanted files.

Format your hard drive... install a new operating system... fix all the bugs and instabilities. If only things were that simple.



12 days till Scrubs.

13 June 2005

umm... yes...

Fourteen days till Scrubs Season One Boxset is out. Woohoo!

Just got back in from work and I'm bloody knackered... It wasn't too bad but during the busy bit I ended up serving people pizzas and that pissed me off. They're so labour intensive and messy... and no-one can have just one anymore... Fucking greedy bastards. They all want the largest, thickest pizza with shit loads of death on it and they want at least two.

They're so unimaginative too, they all have pretty much the same pizza - Cajun bleeding chicken... one of the messiest toppings, we may as well start putting it on every pizza as a matter of course... bastards. Then it's pepperoni (or pepperami as they call it... fucking morons)followed by ham and spicy beef or bacon.

Hey! Shithead! ever thought about how much suffering you're causing animals by eating this shite? or how bad for you it all is... or how much it pisses me off! Fuck off and die you arseholes.

...I guess I've worked in the service industry a little too long... That wasn't even a particularly bad shift either lol. Bleh...

12 June 2005

I needed a laugh

and here it was - Maddox - This guy hates everything apparently... so he's right up my alley... enjoy.

15 days till Scrubs

Yes it's finally almost here! Scrubs season one boxset is two weeks away! Soon I will be able to bask in the glow of Zach Braff's DVD quality face. I guess it'll be cool to see how hot Elliot is too... heh heh.

11 June 2005

One way to spend an afternoon...

Adding silly photos and links to your blog is definitely one way to spend an afternoon... Oh well.
My parent's have just left the house for a week's holiday so I'm on my own, it's great! It's one of the benefits of having moved back home... Occasionally my parent go away! Plus I don't have to pay rent... Mwahaha.
On the other hand whilst they are here, they drive me crazy.

Anyway... Free for a week and hoping to host at least one gathering. The only people that read this thing probably already know that they're welcome to come here... but here it is anyway - "you're welcome to come and visit anytime you want!"

Apart from you Liam... not after last time.

10 June 2005

Just a thought...

"There will always be natural calamities, but there are 120,000 lost lives in Africa every month and this is avoidable," - Bono at EU summit in Brussels.

Just a little perspective when considering tsunamis and such... you can't always avoid nature but you can stop people from starving or being killed by civil conflicts or brutal regimes or curable diseases.

BBC News article about Live Aid concert and push for debt relief etc.

09 June 2005

Damn you nature!

Every year before summer starts I'm convinced I don't have hayfever. Perhaps I'm starting to change my mind this year cos I feel rough as fook. Yesterday I thought it might be mostly hangover but today I feel just as bad... maybe worse. The damn anti-histamines we've got in the house (a house with no big (yes everyone's really short ha-ha) hayfever sufferers) seem to do nothing besides make me really drowsy.

Oh well... I guess it's probably fitting or deserved or something.

I've still done no more work on my CV... I need to get it done. I need a proper job in order to be able to pay off my debts and afford moving out and this is something that I really really need to do.
On the positive side I've borrowed some Killswitch Engage from a friend and I'm really enjoying it.

Meh...

"If all I am is flesh and blood I might as well be dogfood..."

"...and I don't want space, because space is so cold"

Crimson - Reuben.

06 June 2005

Terminally surplus to requirement

Jolly jolly cheerful happy. Right, now that's out the way I can begin this entry...

Work was almost as fun as predicted... I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to move tomorrow... I had to lift a load of barrels with chicken fat in them and they were bastarding heavy. (So not only do I help serve people dead chickens which I'm not happy with, I also put my back out carrying the waste of the cremation process) Unfortunately they were too heavy to pick up properly... not that I would have anyway... I'm a bit careless when it comes to my back.

So here I am... it's night time and I feel a bit miserable... just like most other nights then. I had been doing quite well until fairly recently... it's just another bad patch for some reason. Meh.

Added a little more effort to my CV. Spurred on by today's rough time in work.

When everything feels transitory and there's nothing to give you purpose what do you do? It feels like I'm wearing rubber gloves covered in grease and everything I try to grab hold of slips out of my hands... Or a better analogy... well if you don't like it come up with a better one. The thought remains anyway.

I need to get a new job... I need to move out of my parents house... I need to stop being such a loser... I need to stop feeling like a loser even if I can't stop being one... I need to stop talking crap on blogs because I've got nothing better to do... I need to have something better to do... I need to believe I've got something better to do even if I don't...

05 June 2005

Alive or barely breathing

Listening to music earlier today and the thought occurred to me... "I'm not even sure whether I actually dislike this music or I just think I should"... I can't remember anymore.
I seemed to learn about being a snob about musical tastes somehow and now I can't shake it off. It is a failing of mine and one of many but perhaps I should try not to be so forthcoming with my opinions if I'm not even sure where they're coming from anymore.
Late night ramblings... Gonna try and gather the remaining will power I have to shave my stupid face and then go to bed. Gotta be fresh and ready for work in the morning, fresh and ready to do a job that is morally and intellectually repugnant that is... woopee...

04 June 2005

It's true there were better ones...

After two days of drinking and staying up late I'm pretty knackered so my bed is looking pretty inviting. Sooner or later I may figure out how you add photos to this damn thing... I'm not sure I'm happy with subscribing to whatever service it is that Blogger seem to be pushing. Perhaps I'm just being too paranoid or cynical or something... but it seems as though I've signed up for plenty recently. I've got so many username and password combinations to remember as it is, trying add more to my addled mind is neither wise nor desirable.

I'm meant to be 'working' on a CV at the moment... but hey... I am awfully lazy. I'll do it tomorrow... maybe. It's about time I stopped having to wear a lime green uniform with a funking baseball cap. A cap!! If it wasn't for that bloody place I probably would have worn a cap about twice in the last five years. My face isn't made for caps or sunglasses... or walking. What can you do? I guess my face can take more punishment... God knows it probably needs it.

Listening to --> One thing by Finger Eleven.

"If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn’t that be something"

Good guitars in the chorus too.

01 June 2005

It's not what I came here for

An emtpy blog no longer. Still empty of interesting inormation though.
So my MSN blog which I spent a fair amount of time and effort updating and editing now seems to want to put "Phish.Sekuryb.2" onto my hard drive. I don't know what it is but I've heard about 'phishing' and if 'Antivir' (a cool creative commons antivirus programme that's free!) doesn't like it then neither do I. The upshot being I have to now figure out how to use this thing.

"You've read more books than I could ever read and you've seen more films than I could ever see, so why is it that you don't know any more than me?"

- It's from a compilation made for me by my friend Andy (as is the title of today's blog entry). He's called it 'The sound of lonliness turned up to ten' and I can see why (not just that the first track contains that line).

I need to get out... It's feeling all 'the rain falls hard on a humdrum town'. I need to be with friends and booze, preferrably a bottle of wine.