Tea and cakes and things I like

I did write this explanation before, but blogsome crashed and it got lost, which annoyed me greatly, especially as the post was a minor rant about blogsome in the first place.

When I post pictures from flickr, or blog from my phone, blogsome adds a \ before each ” which messes with the code, breaks the link, and makes it look like I can’t type for shit.

I’ve known about this for a while, so any pictures you’ve seen up here I’ve gone in and corrected the code manually. For the time being, there will be a delay between my posting a pic from my phone and being able to get to the internets to sort it out.

The problem appears to be the blogsome is using an old version of Wordpress. There have been a couple of wordpress updates since, which have rectified this, but the guys who run blogsome don’t seem to be upgrading. Or, for that matter, explaining to all the people in the forums if and when they intend on upgrading. This is fair enough I suppose, given that the hosting is free, but there are lots of other free blogging sites around, and Wordpress have started their own now.

Soon, I shall be moving to a new home all of my very own, so I’m going to stick with blogsome until then. In the mean time, you’ll just have to be patient with the links.

I’ve learned how to knit in the round, which means in a circle, all in one go, so you can make socks and the like. I’m great, me. (Thanks to mum for showing me how and d for calming me down when i lost my temper with it). Now i’m going to to unravel this and start on a bag instead.

Served with warm apple juice. Delicious, spicy and very tasty. Warming and festive, a great alternative to hot port for the winter months. Plus the alcohol makes being home that little bit easier.

Mmmm, spicy tomato wheat crunchies

Testing blogging from my new camera phone. Here are some baubles that have fallen off the tree.

I missed the last train tonight, so had to get the bus home, which is ok as there’s less of a walk the other end, but takes longer, so I was home about half an hour later for the sake of the 5 minutes extra I was stuck in the office that made me miss the train, but anyway, that’s off the point.

I was sitting on the top deck, left hand side, about half way down the bus.
The guy on the seat in front of me was eating an apple.
As we were driving along the quays, he finished the apple, and threw the core out of the window.

Now, I’m all for disposing of apple cores somewhere they can break down naturally. I’ve been known to throw them in bushes, leave them in flowerbeds and throw them out of car windows into fields. However. From the top deck of the bus? Dropped on to the road? What about cyclists? I’d be pretty pissed off if an apple core dropped on my head as I was cycling home. (not that I do actually cycle anywhere you understand, but I could if I wanted to).

We went to see King Kong last night and it was fantastic. Peter Jackson really knows how to make a good movie. I loved how everything was of its time – he didn’t modernise it in any way.

Anyway, it was rated 12A, which means that kids under 12 should have an adult with them, but it’s recommended for people 12 and older.

To me, a film about a woman and her love for a large monkey screams ‘adult content’ and it’s not something I’d take a young child along to. Narnia was on in the screen next door, which has the same rating but is made by Disney, and therefore contains little scariness and no blood (see Elimare for more details). Much more suitable for a young child. Basically, King Kong features an emotional storyline that’s waaay too boring for kids, and scary monsters, like giant insects and killer worms with teeth. So, when the person sat behind us with her 6 year old, or the guy a few seats back with 3 kids that cannot have been older than 5, went to buy their tickets, would it not have been prudent for the ticket seller so say to them: “Actually, you know sir/madam, this movie isn’t really suitable for such young children. Instead, I could recommend …., now showing in screen 4”

I get so tired of going to see films and seeing tiny kids there, either dumped by their parents or brought along with them. Not only is in not fair on the kids (I know that at least one child must have woken up screaming last night at 1am having dreamed they were being eaten by bugs), but it’s not fair on me, the adult cinema goer. Kids get scared, they get tired, they get bored, and they need to go out to pee. The 6 year old behind us was terrified, so his mother had to keep making light of everything with a cheery voice giving commentary. “There now, it’s just like Halloween, isn’t it.” etc. That got really, really annoying.

I think parents need to cop the fuck on about what they’re taking their kids to, but I also think that cinemas need to take some responsibility for the business they run. It’s not like there aren’t enough kids films out there to keep the small ones amused. Plus I’m sure kids eat more sweet crap when they’re not scared shitless.

/rant.

It’s very exciting. I didn’t used to like Christmas, for various reasons that I’m not going to go into. I kind of do now most of the time. I don’t this afternoon, but that’s mainly for similar reasons to not liking it before, so I’m not getting into those either.

Anyway, we have our tree, and I’m delighted with it.

This is the fairy on the top. I think she’s great. She was a Christmas present.

These are the pom poms I randomly decided to make from embroidery thread the other day. I’m not sure why, I just had a sudden craving to make pom poms, and some thread handy. I wasn’t sure what to do with them so I’ve made them into decorations. I’ve been humoured for them, and laughed at for them, but I like them.

Tea, from Harrods. Because I’m posh really.

I wanted to write a review of this, as it was fantastic, but I’m hopeless at reviewing books. I like reading them too much. I used to get in trouble at school for that - we had these books where we were supposed to read a story then answer questions about it, and I never answered the questions, just read the stories. I seem to remember my mum being called in over that one, but it might have been part of my general attitude problems that year. I was told off for reading the Trebizon books as they were apparantly too old and not suitable for a 9-10 year old. Im not quite sure what’s not suitable about tea and crumpets but I think there may have been boys in these too. Instead I was supposed to read Danny the Champion of the World. Don’t get me wrong, that’s an excellent book. However, at that point I’d read it many, many times and could practically recite it from memory. I was just a precocious reader I guess, and boarding school books offered valuable escapism.

Anyway, I digress. I was thinking about reviewing books on here, as I read a lot, and I’d like to keep track of what I’ve read. However, as I’m not good at actual useful proper reviews, I think I shall write very short, uninformative reviews, just stating what I thought of the book for the record.

This book: Excellent, engaging, interesting, well written, great characters. My only complaint is that the damn thing was so heavy. It hurt my (weak, girly) wrists to read it for too long, especially in the bath when I had to hold it out of the water.

Been busy, working, housework (not that you’d notice, just that with all the working it’s been a bit neglected), knitting, and watching CSI. I think I’m becoming addicted to CSI and knitting. I’m a very slow knitter though. I want to get some double pointed needles and learn how to knit in the round. I want to make myself some leg warmers and wrist warmers (strictly for wearing around the house of course). I’m not fast enough to tackle a big project like a jumper yet.

Anyway, yet another aplogy for the lack of posting. Must try harder.
Sigh.

Situated on the quays, a short walk from bus and rail stations, and, importantly, the office, Dooleys is now officially my favourite work related hotel.

It was lovely. The staff were unbelievably polite and friendly, in a genuine way too, not a fake, “It’s company policy that I smile at you” sort of way.

The room was big, with a desk and a side table and chairs, there was tea and coffee there (not an option in one of the hotels I stay at). The bed was big and comfy, and there was a nice thick blanket too so I was warm. There was a bath in the bathroom, not just a shower, and there was plenty of hot water. It was all big and clean.

I needed to do some work in my room, and it was really lovely to work in - there was proper lighting, so I could see everything, there were plugs by the desk, and there was wireless internet if I’d needed that. You had to pay for that though, would have been nice if it was free.

My only tiny complaint was about the breakfast. The food was ok, the tea came in a good sized silver teapot, which was lovely. However, I had to listen to the person in charge of breakfasts giving out to the poor waitress, which is never nice to hear (and seems to happen in a lot of hotels). My biggest complaint thuogh, was the music. Why, over breakfast, should I have to listen to “mambo number 5″, “the macarena” and what sounded like the 1996 Maltese eurovision entry? I gave up on my tea and book, and went back to my room.

In other news I currently dislike my job immensley and want to leave. I don’t care if someone from work reads this. It’s making me miserable.

Well, that’s perhaps a little strong. However, I passed this year study wise. I’m very proud of myself, and very happy, especially as I didn’t think the work I handed in was as good as it should have been.

If I wanted to stop right now I would have a postgraduate diploma in the social sciences. I’m not stopping though, so I have 1 more year to go to get my Msc Pschology. 2/3 of the way through.
Yay for me. I rock.

Tonight I referred to a PDA as a ‘yoke’.

‘Grand’ I picked up fairly quickly.
I’m not sure what I used to say instead of ‘yer man’.
I occasionally go ‘asleep’ instead of ‘to sleep’.
I have been known to utter ‘amn’t I’, not ‘aren’t I’, but I’m not happy about it.

This is one step too far.

The new series of ER started last night. I was disappointed. I should have stopped watching a few years ago, but just haven’t, and, well, it’s just not as good as it used to be. I just don’t care about any of the characters any more. Neela made a new person cry yesterday and I was glad. Then she felt bad, and I was glad about that too. Glad and annoyed.

I was never really that into ER, I didn’t get what all the fuss was about, but when I moved back to the UK from New Zealand I was unemployed and depressed, and Channel 4 was showing 2 episodes of the seasons 1&2 each morning starting at about 11am. I’d wake up, make a cup of tea, go back to bed and watch that (in between the frequent bouts of crying and general self-pitying that went on at that point). I got quite into it.

Anyway, that time thankfully didn’t last too long; I pulled myself together and left the country again, which made me a great deal happier. The damage was done though: I was hooked on ER.

Somehow over the last few seasons they’ve managed to get rid of all the decent characters. Or the stuff that made them interesting.
Luka was all tortured and tormented and a bit of a bastard and therefore attractive. Now he just moons over Sam and wants babies.
Sam was interesting at first. I wanted her to sort stuff out. Now I’m tired of her constant whining and self-pitying.
Abbey has kicked the drink, her nuts mum & brother are out of the picture and she’s just getting on with things. I don’t mind that too much, she’s the only character that I’ve even slightly bought in to.
Susan Lewis is now dull - where’s her sister when you need her to liven things up a bit?
Neela is just annoying and I want to slap the telly whenever she appears.
Ray is boring. There’s only so long you can wait for him to decide he wants to be a rock star and not a doctor. I’m getting tired of it. Make a decision man!
Pratt is all responsible and just getting on with it. No longer the talented one who just won’t play by the rules. Yawn.
Morris hasn’t had his come uppance yet. I’m getting tired of waiting.
Darlene from Roseanne is playing Darlene from Roseanne just with less of the attitude that made her a good character.

And that’s it. That’s all we have left. I don’t care about any of them.

So. The big question is this: WHY CAN’T I STOP WATCHING IT? For the love of god, why? I want my Sunday nights back.

Good point made in comment in post below.

Chocolate chip cookie recipe. Adapted slightly from one I was given by a friend who makes very delicious things. Recipe given is my slight adaptation (for squidgyness), I will provide ref for original if anyone would like it.

Ingredients
2 eggs
225g / 8oz soft brown sugar
100g / 4oz granulated sugar
225g / 8oz softened butter.
500g / 1¼ lb self raising flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
250-450g /8oz-1lb solid chocolate, roughly chopped

Oven
Preheat oven to 190C/375F/GM5.

Instructions
Beat together eggs, sugar, and butter.
Fold in the flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla and cocoa (if using).
Add chocolate chips.
Make into walnut sized balls and flatten slightly
Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Your secret santa instructions are in the post.

You are each buying 2 gifts, so you will each receive 2 gifts. Cost approx £10-15 on each person.