tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-11-07:/Reflections, musings, rants and reasonings and the odd episodic booze fuelled outburstMokoFeed2009-11-07T20:27:01+01:00tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-08-16:/2009/08/16/random-acts-of-kindness-suggestions-6735751/yackyack2009-08-16T13:13:43+02:002009-08-16T19:37:10+02:00 <strong>Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK)</strong> <p> A colleague remarked t'other day how random acts of kindness (according to a study) were shown to make people sadder!</p> <p> I think that's a little bizarre cos, in my experience, RAOK, actually make you feel great, in the sense of knowing that you did something selfless, purposely for the benefit of someone else.</p> <p> There is of course an irony in that through doing these things you do actually help yourself, it does make you smile inside to do so, so perhaps it isn't so selfless after all. I think that's an outcome most would be happy to live with though and so for me, it's win win all the way to the feel good factor bank.</p> <p> Anyways, the point of this post wasn't simply to talk about random acts of kindness for the sake of them, no, it was to also suggest a few ideas for today, that you can do very easily, at next to no cost.</p> <p> I'm gonna put a few, maybe you can add a few in the comments. :</p> <ul> <li>Pay the toll on a toll bridge for the person behind you</li> <li>Volunteer - there's 100's of organisations that need help, go find one and step up!</li> <li>Leave the price of a pint in the pump and tell the barman to let the next person buying a sole pint have it on the house</li> <li>Go to the local old peoples centre and take them in a big cake and offer to help make the tea</li> <li>Go buy a 'thinking of you' card and send it to a friend or relative you have'nt spoke to for a while</li> <li>If you are in the supermarket and get one of these 5p off your fuel things, or nectar point things that you don't collect, then give them to a friend or the person behind you - costs nothing </li> </ul> <p>So there you have it, go make the world a better place, practice a few random acts of kindness ;0)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/08/16/random-acts-of-kindness-suggestions-6735751/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-08-10:/2009/08/10/random-breeze-6695321/yackyack2009-08-10T22:30:40+02:002009-08-10T22:48:18+02:00 <p>Breezes sail on summer seas, drift across the glades with ease<br> Poppies sway as milked by bees, looked on down by big oak trees</p> <p>Meadow scent that drives the birds, across the plains above great herds<br> Over rivers, across small dales, past laughing kids and wagging tails</p> <p>Invisibly sailing up and down, taking leaves from off the ground<br> Picking up pace or going slow, swirling around bright streets below</p> <p>Powered by sun and tidal spree, fanned by waves we cannot see<br> Waiting for night to quieten down, the breeze no more we all sleep sound</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/08/10/random-breeze-6695321/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-08-09:/2009/08/09/missing-words-6683114/yackyack2009-08-09T08:17:29+02:002009-08-09T08:17:29+02:00 <p>Writing this morn seems kinda tough, the keyboard taps are not enough</p> <p>Write a line and start a new, backspace, delete, review review</p> <p>Mental block no inspiration, lack of vision, unknown causation</p> <p>Trying hard to find a verve, to find a point of textual swerve</p> <p>Words that'll speak of stuff unsaid, painting pictures in ones head</p> <p>Creating joins from line to line, joins with flow, not asinine</p> <p>Making sense in simple steps, no point trying to perplex</p> <p>Words right now of absence be, put on screen for all to see</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/08/09/missing-words-6683114/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-08-08:/2009/08/08/molten-chocolate-6681780/yackyack2009-08-08T22:52:20+02:002009-08-08T22:52:20+02:00 <p>Eyes of chocolate full of light<br> Signals pulse all deep and bright<br> Locks that bounce all soft and flowing<br> Sensuous looks of absence knowing<br> Heart of pause of trips unknown<br> Removing layers encased in stone</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/08/08/molten-chocolate-6681780/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-08-01:/2009/08/01/proustian-shoreline-waves-6632837/yackyack2009-08-01T23:00:32+02:002009-08-02T11:34:47+02:00 <p>I've been reading a very cool book by Alain De Botton. It's called <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0330354914?ie=UTF8&tag=hotelsaccommo-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0330354914">How Proust Can Change Your Life</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=hotelsaccommo-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0330354914" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt=""><br> .</p> <p>For those of you who don't know, Marcel Proust was a French essayist and novelist who was well known for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141180315?ie=UTF8&tag=hotelsaccommo-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0141180315">In Search of Lost Time</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=hotelsaccommo-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0141180315" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt=""><br> a literary  effort of considerable length and critical acclaim. One of the things you'll find when reading Proust is how he could extend things out and get extremely granular and nuanced, addressing things that are usually unsaid or unnoticed.There's definitely something cool in that, as perception and interpretation can often lead us down a multitude of paths; most of which tend to double back on themselves or cross over.</p> <p>In any case, it isn't for me to critique or comment too extensively upon the dude as my only real reference point is that of what De Botton uncovered and presented in his condensed view on the man and his work and life.In the book , De Botton referenced how he wrote 30 pages on the problem of being unable to sleep one night. Apparently, the piece went up and down and around and about and in and out with little real outcome. People of his time, remarked around how what he had said, could have been condensed into words like "I can't sleep, hrrrumph".</p> <p>So in semi Proustian style I'm going to write about the crashing of a wave. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into 6000 words or a 20ft long blog, just a simple little piece that tries to inject a little elongation, a little romanticism, a little evocation, something simple, everlasting, powerful, cyclilic, natural etc.</p> <p>The idea was borne of a <a href="http://twitter.com/robwatts/status/2736843837">tweet whilst sitting on a beach</a> - a tweet for those unfamilair is 140 characters long and resides on the micro blogging platform twitter.</p> <blockquote> <p><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">Waves are curling & bending like falling titans slain by the trident of Poseidon pulling them back as they flee the tyranny of the sea </span></span></p> </blockquote> <p>It occured to me that Proust would have been absolutely awful at twitter, as brevity it would seem was not his bag. The above was my mickey take at what might have been his effort on the observation of a wave hitting the shoreline. A simple, yet amazing thing that we've all sat and started and wondered about, so without further ado, here it is.</p> <p><strong>Proustian Shoreline Waves</strong></p> <blockquote> <p><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">Waves are curling and bending like falling titans slain by the trident of Poseidon pulling them back as they flee the tyranny of the sea.</span></span></p> <p><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">The shoreline hisses at the slaying of its foe, retreating in disdain at the loss of its prize, shattered into a million beads of defeated evaporated power</span></span></p> <p><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">The vanquished drops retreat back down, bubbling frothing angry sounds, rushing back to join the masses, railing forth to make more splashes</span></span></p> <p><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">Yet Poseidon there will always lay, ready to fight, to catch, to slay, the sea with all its swell and might, kept at bay throughout the night.<br></span></span></p> </blockquote> <p></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/08/01/proustian-shoreline-waves-6632837/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-06-12:/2009/06/12/working-from-home-6287894/yackyack2009-06-12T09:05:35+02:002009-06-12T09:05:35+02:00 <p>I'm working from home today, it's nice to get up late and doddle around, sitting in ones shorts, drinking coffee, not having to have faced the grind of going on the train and messing around w/ parking and walking about.</p> <p>Actually, as a result I tend to get a whole lot more done too (when I'm not blogging that is) . It isnt for everyone though, some people are that disciplined, some people might just lol around all day doing nish, needing the office or work environment to get on and do what they do.</p> <p>Inabit </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/06/12/working-from-home-6287894/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2009-02-17:/2009/02/17/micro-blogging-with-twitter-5592060/yackyack2009-02-17T11:36:48+01:002009-02-17T11:55:49+01:00 <p>I spend a lot of time on twitter these days, I have done for a while, since March 2007.</p> <p>Here is a selection of my tweet timeline , most of them are boring, some are pithy, some are just networky sharing things.</p> <p><a title="tweets17-02-2009 10-52-04" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/tweets17_02_2009_10_52_04/3241382"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/382/3241382_872061f34f_m.jpeg" alt="tweets17-02-2009 10-52-04" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p>Do you tweet? What is your @name?</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2009/02/17/micro-blogging-with-twitter-5592060/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-11-17:/2008/11/17/seo-london-job-post-5050566/yackyack2008-11-17T11:42:12+01:002008-11-17T11:42:12+01:00 <p>I wrote a little blog post here on the subject of looking for an  <a href="http://www.yackyack.co.uk/seo-job/seo-job-london/">SEO Job London</a>.</p> <p>If you know of anyone who's looking for work or has been playing around in the space who has a bit of talent for the gig, then do please ask them to check it out!</p> <p>Thanks <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/11/17/seo-london-job-post-5050566/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-09-23:/2008/09/23/harley-davidsons-rock-according-to-dave-4767027/yackyack2008-09-23T11:49:07+02:002009-06-12T08:55:37+02:00 <p class="MsoNormal"><span>I was talking with my friend Dave over MSN this morning about his <a href="http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/home.jsp?locale=en_US">Harley Davidson</a> Motorbike. He&rsquo;s nuts on the things, he puts on all the leather and dark glasses and all the other biker stuff and just gets into it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>I asked why he liked the things so much, he said didn&rsquo;t know whether it was seeing photo&rsquo;s of the old &lsquo;Knucklehead&rsquo; as he called it or sitting on his dad&rsquo;s &lsquo;Shovelhead&rsquo; that first got him attracted to them but as far back as he could remember, he&rsquo;d had a loving interest in what he described as &lsquo;these beautiful machines&rsquo;.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><br> The looks.<span>  </span>The smell.<span>  </span>The noise.<span>  </span>Take two of these away and he reckoned he&rsquo;d be able to tell you if it was a Harley Davidson.<span>  </span>The iconic look, the unique oily-leather smell and that unforgettable noise.<span>  </span>Beautiful. <span> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>My response being, to each to their own!</p> <p> For the past 15 years, he&rsquo;d only ever owned Harley motorbikes. <span> </span>He&rsquo;d had a brief encounter with an old <a href="http://www.kawasaki.com/Home/Home.aspx">Kawasaki</a> a few years back, but apparently you don&rsquo;t talk about that (according to him).<span>  </span>His first Harley was a 1985 Harley Davidson XL Ironhead. He&rsquo;d bought it second (or possibly third, fourth or fifth) hand.<span>  </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Its leather was torn and scuffed.<span>  </span>The headlight was missing, a mirror was smashed and the exhaust had practically rusted away.<span>  </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>But it was <em>his</em>.<span>  </span>He had his own Harley Davidson and no one could take that away from him.<span>  </span>Well, except those guys who managed to hot wire it whilst he was on holiday.<span>  </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span>He</span> never got it back, but got a tidy sum from the insurance company, which went towards his next Harley &ndash; a 1996 Evolution.</p> <p> Funny reading someone talk with such passion for a big old lump of metal - He&rsquo;d had this Harley for just less than 10 years and still wishes he had it.<span>  </span><span> </span>To see him rap on about &lsquo;The 45 degree V-twin air cooled engine&rsquo; which he said felt like Michael Parks in &ldquo;Then Came Bronson&rdquo; with his first Harley.<span>  </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>It felt&hellip;amazing.<span>  </span>It was stunning, absolutely stunning.<span>  </span>Unfortunately, times were hard and he needed some cash so his beloved Evo had to go.<span>  </span>It was a sad day.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><br> He went on to say how three months later he&rsquo;d gained a significant promotion at work and decided to treat himself.<span>  </span>Have a guess what to&hellip;got it in one.<span>  </span>A brand new 2004 VRSCA V-Rod Harley.<span>  His words.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Not second hand.<span>  </span>Not tried and tested and taken back, but 100% brand new, off the production line.<span> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><br> He still drives it today.<span>  </span>Although he say he misses his Evolution, but he&rsquo;s never going to have it back.<span>  </span>It&rsquo;s in the past and it was a good time in his riding life.<span>  </span>Now he&rsquo;s got a VRSCA and couldn&rsquo;t be happier with it.<span>  </span></p> <p> Saying that, he said he'd just seen some photo&rsquo;s of a 2009 touring model &ndash; new frame, 17 inch wheels and a six gallon tank! I think he&rsquo;d better start saving now as Harley Davidson Insurance can cost a bomb! Especially if you don't lock it down tight with a </span><a href="http://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/locks_and_chains.htm">good bike chain</a><span> using a </span><a href="http://www.elitesecuritysupplies.com/ground_anchors.htm">floor anchor</a><span> with it<br></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <span>I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d ever get into bikes again, the last one I had was a <a href="http://www.bikesure.co.uk/images/manufacturers/yamaha.jpg">Yamaha</a> DT 125 R trial bike, which to bike enthusiasts like Dave aren&rsquo;t even bikes! I used to fall off of the thing with regularity, so I think I'll stick to four wheels</span> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/09/23/harley-davidsons-rock-according-to-dave-4767027/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-08-23:/2008/08/23/drinkingperfumeis-dangerous-but-might-get-you-drunk-4626344/yackyack2008-08-23T12:04:03+02:002008-08-23T12:04:03+02:00 <p>Apparently drinking  <a href="http://www.perfumecare.co.uk/">perfume </a>is dangerous but it  might get you drunk. Really? No Shit sherlock.</p> <p>That's the conversation that went on in a pub the other day. There were these group of 20 somethings, talking about various crap when one of them pipes up and talks about how he'd tried it out with his GF's cheapest perfume!Saying he did it because he knows these products have been tested and they wouldn't sell them if they weren't safe!</p> <p>Well duh, bleach and toilet cleaner is sold and you shouldn't drink that either, as in cyanide and all manner of other nasty chems that'll make your heart stop in 30 seconds flat.</p> <p>His mates did laugh and rib him though, shaking their heads and asking him if he was the full shilling, but hey, thats the world of today eh.</p> <p>I didn't hear if it got him drunk or not, I missed that part. I'm assuming he didn't drink enough of the stuff. His brain was obviously pickled before he started! You'd think his bodies natural reaction w<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071216052120AAWZF1P">ould just eject the stuff;</a> perhaps he was just trying to impress his mates. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/08/23/drinkingperfumeis-dangerous-but-might-get-you-drunk-4626344/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-08-16:/2008/08/16/no-summer-sucks-4595607/yackyack2008-08-16T10:37:20+02:002008-08-16T10:37:20+02:00 <p>Just looked at the weather and it looks like its going to rain again this weekend, so any aspirations to cycle from <a href="http://www.distance-calculator.co.uk/distance-from-hitchin-to-borehamwood.htm">Hitchin to Borehamwood</a> I may have had are out of the window.</p> <p>Lately, In an effort to alleviate my boredom Ive been playing around on <a href="http://www.seesmic.com">seesmic</a>, a cool little threaded video conversation thing. If you aren't camera shy its worth checking out.</p> <p>Has anyone seen that film Jumped or Jump? Some kind of time travel thingy. I might check that out The film perfume is meant to be good too, so I might hop into the motor and go to blockbuster.</p> <p>What you doing today?<br> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/08/16/no-summer-sucks-4595607/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-07-22:/2008/07/22/something-to-make-you-feel-up-when-you-a-4483863/yackyack2008-07-22T16:11:00+02:002008-07-22T16:11:00+02:00 Jetlagged? - Try Viagra! <p class="standarttext">Erection problems are one of the top embarrassing complaints amongst UK men, alongside baldness. But the truth is erection problems affect a massive percentage of the population at some point in their lives. Most men will experience erection problems such as premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction at some point. It&rsquo;s now possible to buy herbal Viagra online without having to feel humiliated in front of your doctor. But now there&rsquo;s a new excuse men can use to be prescribed Viagra  for and it&rsquo;s jetlag! </p> <p class="standarttext">If you&rsquo;re too embarrassed to go to the doctor about erection problems, you could go under the guise of suffering from jetlag. New research shows that Viagra can help alleviate jetlag symptoms. The drug was tested on hamsters and scientists at the National University of Quilmes in Argentina. Researchers discovered that in conjunction with light therapy, flying in one direction (eastbound) Viagra could help alleviate symptoms. The fact that it also cures erection problems was probably considered an added bonus!</p> <p class="standarttext">The tests on the hamsters revealed that light-dark cycles regulate the body&rsquo;s time clock &ndash; and it&rsquo;s our biological clocks that tell us when to be active and when to sleep. Using shifts in the light cycle alongside an injection of Viagra helped the mammals adjust to the new time. Viagra was originally developed to treat heart problems &ndash; such as blood pressure and angina &ndash; but is now used mainly to help alleviate erection problems.</p> <p>Well all know that Viagra has helped millions of men suffering with erection problems. It&rsquo;s uses as a drug however seem far reaching, although if you are prescribed Viagra it&rsquo;s recommended you only use it according to doctor&rsquo;s instructions (i.e. for erection problems, not jetlag). The hamsters were given a much lower dosage of the drug then the dose used for men with erection problems. Scientists are also hoping that Viagra also has potential to help heart problems as well as erection problems. Although Viagra is now automatically association with erection problems, it can also boost other parts of the body &ndash; such as blood vessels in the heart and lungs. So much so that a premature baby&rsquo;s life was saved when he was given Viagra &ndash; and now doctors have gone back to investigating the original purpose of Viagra. The alleviation of erection problems was merely a side effect that ended up offering a more lucrative market for the drug.</p> <strong>Natural Herbal Alternatives?</strong> <p>Of course, you might not want to go the pharmaceutical route, in which case there&rsquo;s always <a href="http://www.ultimate-herbal.com/herbal-viagra.aspx">Herbal Viagra</a> to try sooth your woes away. I've never tried Viagra personally, Ive heard the odd anecdote from those who have though. Still, it makes you wonder is this one of those dodgy stories put out by the industry or is it really true... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/07/22/something-to-make-you-feel-up-when-you-a-4483863/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-07-15:/2008/07/15/public-relations-media-and-privacy-4451604/yackyack2008-07-15T15:40:32+02:002008-07-15T15:40:32+02:00 <p>Most <a href="http://www.thespaway.com/" title="PR Company">Media PR Firms</a>  today do a good job at managing the media. People like <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.maxclifford.com/">Max Clifford</a> are well known for getting people out of all sorts of holes.It's pretty amazing when you flick through his site and see who he has associated with over the years. He even has a photo of OJ Simpson on his site.</p> <p>Of course , who they are shouldn't really matter should it? We all know what a bastard the media can be. Once it gets its claws into a person then, if the content is juicy enough and a bigger story doesn't come along, then they'll just churn things out for as long as they can bringing up account after innuendo after slur, in ensuring that, in the eyes of their readers at least, the person at the sharp end is seen to be as evil or as sleazy, or as heinous as they can possibly paint them to be.</p> <p>It's no surprise though. People want to read this stuff after all. People want scandal and intrigue and outrage. They want to read about alleged <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/14/privacy.newsoftheworld1">nazi dress orgies</a> , and if the person at the centre is respected or well known then even better still. If the appetite for it exists then who can blame the media for feeding it? It's a 'free' society after all, right? Yet free for who? Free for us to read what we want? Free for us to go about our business free of any fear of harrassment by some organisation larger than us. Free for any organisation to report on an issue that it feels to be of public interest?</p> <p>The list could go on, one mans freedom is another mans chains it seems. What is right and proper to me, may not be neccessarily so for someone else and that person will proclaim very loudly that they should be free to attack or condemn something that they feel is wrong or injust or bad in general. We are left to entrust such outcomes to our courts. The law of libel being one such mechanism for redress, provided you can afford it of course.</p> <p>It's clear from that statement that I'm not too far away from a view that would suggest that the existing system isn't very fair at all. How can it be right that money, or access to, should be the determinant to getting an open hearing or justice at some perceived wrong? Isn't it time that we had  privacy laws that protect us from this, or  are you happy with how it all works? Should it be open season to say what you like when you like and how you like?</p> <p>In an age of digital communications whereby anonmyous bloggers can * <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4549574a4560.html">start stories and paint them as true </a>  even <a href="http://technorati.com/posts/wGMdRvX5%2Bjrx7vEyLgzSVytPAl4Jp6ejizXnbBEO02o%3D">when they have no basis in fact</a> it's not such a huge leap to imagine how such things could be bent and twisted to suit all manner of aims and objectives.How long before you'll need the services of a <a href="http://www.thespaway.com">PR Company</a>?</p> <p><em>*The story referenced managed to find its way into a radio4 broadcast a national televison broadcast and numerous big circulation newspapers</em></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/07/15/public-relations-media-and-privacy-4451604/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-06-07:/2008/06/07/canned-laughter-4284387/yackyack2008-06-07T10:57:09+02:002008-06-07T10:57:09+02:00 <p>So it's Saturday morning I've had my barnet cut and am having a little laze around doing not very much at all. There's this thing on telly that Amber is watching 'Wizards of Waverley Place' about this person who has a talking zit on his forehead, a zit that insults and threatens him. Canned laughter, smiley Americans, whizz cut throughs to the next scene, you know the type; a little fast ditty, a whoosh and kazaam the next scene. What get's me though is that every single line that is uttered is followed by a chorus of audience laughter, what is it with that? Some of is is funny, but most of it isn't. I'm thinking to myself is there this school of thought in the 'make people laugh biz' that says if you do this then people will think it's funny? Is it the laughter is infectious theory? Did only fools and horses do this? Tommy Cooper shows didn't, neither do most funny films either. Can you imagine a movie that did canned laughter? No me neither.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/06/07/canned-laughter-4284387/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-06-05:/2008/06/05/title-4276393/yackyack2008-06-05T14:35:48+02:002008-06-05T15:20:19+02:00 <span>Top Ten Things To Do In Liverpool<br> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Liverpool</span><span> is a city in celebration.<span>  </span>Wining the 2008 Capital City of Culture award has brought fresh investment intended to match the amenities of the old city to the passion of its devoted citizens.<span>  </span>With money poured into renovating the city centre, improving shopping facilities and areas for nightlife along with the rapid growth of Liverpool as a city of art and culture Liverpool is <em>the</em> booming city of the North, genuinely a city that has something for everyone. It is certainly worth a visit with <a href="http://www.openroads.com/liverpool.html">lots of places to stay</a> too. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>The Cavern Club</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The self-proclaimed &lsquo;most famous club in the world&rsquo; is the legendary birthplace of the Beatles and without doubt one of the most important cultural landmarks in Liverpool.<span>  </span>Inspired by Parisian cellar bars the Cavern Club opened in 1957 but it wasn&rsquo;t until November 9^th 1961 when the unknown Beatles were introduced to Brian Epstein that the club cemented its place in pop history. <span> </span>Since the Beatles completed their 292 show residency artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who and recently the Arctic Monkeys have gone on to play at The Cavern defining the club as a hot-spot for emerging talent and an icon in world music.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The Cavern Club is situated along the lively Mathew Street just off the city centre and is open daily from 12pm holding live music nights and DJ events playing anything from Mersey Beat to Brit Pop.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.cavernclub.org/"><a href="http://www.cavernclub.org/">http://www.cavernclub.org/</a></a></span></p> <span>Albert Dock</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>This secluded patch of Liverpool&rsquo;s heritage offers a break from the city centre with plenty to see and do across a picturesque waterfront.<span>  </span>Combining bars and restaurants with museums and tours the Albert Dock has something for everyone.<span>  </span>The Merseyside Maritime Museum and the National Slavery Museum as are certainly worth a look and Babycream and Panamerican Club are both great places for something to eat or a quick drink.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.albertdock.com/">http<span>://www.albertdock.com/</span></a></span><span></span></p> <span>Turning The Place Over</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Described as the most daring piece of public art in the world, Richard Wilson&rsquo;s revolving slice of condemned office block is a sight to be seen.<span>  </span>Set just outside the city centre in Moorfields and only viewable during daylight hours Wilson has cut out a huge 8-metre oval from a building&rsquo;s façade allowing it to rotate in its place exposing glimpses of the inside to passers by.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBXwA0gcBm4&feature=related"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBXwA0gcBm4&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBXwA0gcBm4&feature=related</a></a></span><span> </span></p> <span>China</span><span> Town</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Liverpool has one of the largest and most established Chinese communities in Europe.<span>  </span>The Imperial Arch on Berry Street acts as a gateway to an area revitalized with the Capital of Culture award.<span>  </span>With bars and restaurants open daily and a busy market selling clothes, herbs, food and drink open on a Sunday Liverpool&rsquo;s famous China Town is a colourful escape from the city centre.</span></p> <span>Tate Liverpool</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Founded as part of the 1988 renovation of the Albert Dock the gallery houses important works from both contemporary and classical artists and offers fresh non-permanent exhibitions and a full package of activities for children.<span>  </span>The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday 10pm &ndash; 5pm.</span></p> <span>Concert Square</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The hive of Liverpool nightlife is always busy as bars and restaurants compete for custom with staggering drinks deals and nauseatingly infectious Scouse House music.<span>  </span>Modo and Arena are two of the best while Walkabout is always a lively place to watch any football, cricket or rugby matches.</span></p> <span>Rawhide Comedy Club</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Always good for a meal and a laugh the Rawhide Comedy club at the Royal Court on Roe Street has hosted the likes of Peter Kay, Jimmy Carr and Johnny Vegas and continues to attract the best emerging comedy talent from around the world.<span>  </span>Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the main nights but be sure to book early as tickets are usually sold-out on the door.</span></p> <span>FACT</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>The Foundation for Art and Creative Technology is the <span>UK</span><span>'s leading organisation for the commissioning and presentation of film, video and new media art forms.<span>  </span>Situated just off Wood Street in the Ropewalks area of the city centre FACT is a resource for artists and creatives but also an entry point into the world of new media with regular short film competitions and commissioned work from the likes of Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger and documentary filmmaker Isaac Julian.<span>  </span>FACT is also the best cinema is the city showing both independent movies and major Hollywood releases.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.fact.co.uk/?group=1"><a href="http://www.fact.co.uk/?group=1">http://www.fact.co.uk/?group=1</a></a></span></p> <span>Anfield Tour and Museum</span> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span>You can&rsquo;t go to Liverpool without at least one proud local reminding you that the football club representing the red half of the city is the most successful British club around.<span>  </span>The tour takes you behind the scenes at the club, visiting the dressing rooms and sitting in the team dugout while the museum holds a large number of trophies and memories including the European Cup installed permanently after Liverpool&rsquo;s fifth victory in the 2005 final in Istanbul.</span></p> <span>Walker</span><span> Art Gallery</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>This gallery really is the &lsquo;National Gallery&rsquo; of the north.<span>  </span>Situated across from Lime Street station on William Brown Street the neo-classical Walker Gallery has a large collection of work spanning the years from the pre-Raphaelite works of Rembrandt and Degas to contemporary works from Lucien Freud and David Hockney.<span>  </span>Entrance is free and the gallery is open between 10-5pm daily.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/visit/"><a href="http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/visit/">http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/visit/</a></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>Staying in Liverpool</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Liverpool</span><span> offers a diverse range of different types of accommodation<strong>. </strong>You can find a nice </span><strong><span><a href="http://www.openroads.com/liverpool_merseyside_hotels.html"><span>hotel in Liverpool</span></a></span></strong><span> at reasonable rates. </span><span><a href="http://www.openroads.com/liverpool_merseyside_accommodation.html">Liverpool Accommodation</a></span><strong><span> -</span></strong><span> includes hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs & inns if you need a <span><a href="http://www.openroads.com/liverpool_merseyside_budget.html">Liverpool Budget Hotel</a></span> &ndash; offering value for money hotels for those wishing to keep to a budget then these are ideal. Or perhaps you want to stay in an <span><a href="http://www.openroads.com/liverpool_merseyside_servicedapartments.html">Apartment</a></span> - primarily self-catering accommodation for the more independent guest .Enjoy your stay in Liverpool!</span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/06/05/title-4276393/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-05-28:/2008/05/28/travel-flyers-and-inspirations-4238113/yackyack2008-05-28T13:54:33+02:002008-05-28T13:55:01+02:00 <p>I want to get some <a href="http://www.solopress.com">flyers</a> done for a little project I had in mind.</p> <p> I'm thinking of creating a new project, suitably inspired by this <a href="http://www.openroads.com">Hotel website</a>. I like what they are doing with their locations pages. Check out their <a href="http://www.openraods.com/newcastle.html">Newcastle</a>, <a href="http://www.openroads.com/shrewsbury.html">Shrewsbury</a> and <a href="http://www.openroads.com/canterbury.html">Canterbury </a>sections for an example of what I mean. Unlike most crap websites out there that just bang out an old affiliate feed or two this one has real people working for it creating real content.</p> <p>They have this cool <a href="http://www.openroads.com/alton-towers.html">Alton Towers</a> section too, showing all the rides with reviews of each one. </p> <ul> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=alton-towers-ride-guide">Theme Park - Ride Guide</a>     </li> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=alton-towers-events">Theme Park - Events</a>     </li> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=alton-towers-visitor-tips">Theme Park - Visitor Tips</a>     </li> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=map-of-attractions-near-alton-towers-resort">Map of Attractions near Alton Towers</a>     </li> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=attractions-near-alton-towers-resort">List of Attractions near Alton Towers</a>     </li> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=alton-towers-cariba-creek">Cariba Creek</a>     </li> <li class="tab_nav_off"><a href="/?id=alton-towers-extraordinary-golf">Extraordinary Golf</a>    </li> </ul> I'd like to see a few more pictures though, perhaps a video or two as well but overall a nice piece of kit. </p> <p>So what is it I'm going to do? Aha! That would be telling of course, suffice to say it'll be a damn site better than some of my past spammy efforts. The only thing I have to do now of course is to find a little more time.</p> <p>Now where's that guru.com bookmark I had...<img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/05/28/travel-flyers-and-inspirations-4238113/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-01-24:/2008/01/24/buying_property_abroad_dubai~3626086/yackyack2008-01-24T15:33:18+01:002008-01-24T15:33:18+01:00 <p>I've never been to Dubai although I know a few people who have and all have remarked on how beautiful it is. Wall to wall sun, nice people, good golf, very Western . </p> <p>Just browsing about this morning, I came across this <a href="http://www.dreamhomesww.com">Dubai Property </a> site  and was surprised to learn how relatively cheap the properties are. Did you know you can buy a 1 bed apartment from as little as £57k or a 2 bed from as little as  £114k. Compared to places like London which has guaranteed rain and grumpy bastards, I thought this was a pretty good deAL</p> <p> A further look into that domain itself revealed that on average investors could look at a return over 3 years of  8%, guaranteed!</p> <p>Time to get those pennies out of the bank perhaps. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/01/24/buying_property_abroad_dubai~3626086/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2008-01-23:/2008/01/23/van_insurance~3620894/yackyack2008-01-23T16:14:35+01:002009-06-12T08:57:40+02:00 <p>I'm looking to buy a bike but before I did so, I wanted to check out the bike insurance market. </p> <p>I'm not sure, like I said it's a new thing for me, maybe some of you guys here had an idea on the topic?</p> <p>Cheers</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2008/01/23/van_insurance~3620894/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-09-21:/2007/09/21/death_proof~3017674/yackyack2007-09-21T14:24:35+02:002007-09-21T14:26:30+02:00 <p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1028528/">Death Proof</a> - Tarantino does it again. Wicked film, cleverly shot, cool script, great soundtrack, great little goofy quirks...get out and watch it!</p> <p>Here's a song from the soundtrack, 1965 would you believe!</p> <p>The scene its associated with in the film is a little brutal, hold on make that a LOT brutal. Genius nonethless.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/09/21/death_proof~3017674/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-09-08:/2007/09/08/why_are_we_such_a_distrustful_society~2945889/yackyack2007-09-08T15:06:33+02:002007-09-08T15:21:14+02:00 <p>I blogged earlier on the topic of <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/09/08/dna_database_resist_at_all_costs~2944488">DNA databases and civil liberties</a>, reading some of the comments <a href="http://my.telegraph.co.uk/robwatts/september_2007/dna_database_resist_at_all_costs_.htm#comments">here</a> it was clear that many of the respondents were like me, distrustful of those who run things and didn't have very much confidence in their ability to safeguard their data or run things in a fair non invasive way.</p> <p>It's clear too that on the whole government generally doesn't trust the people, as it, whatever 'it' maybe appears to be absolutely petrified of the people, so will at every opportunity, look at ways of nailing people down and restricting their ability to move outside of their structured confines or agreed ways of behaviour. laws, tax monitoring, proof of this and that.</p> <p>It's as if people alone can't be trusted to run their own affairs, as if people need some kind of heavy handed controlling force that makes sure that society is allowed to run in a way that suits the existing set of arrangements, even if the existing set of arrangements are clearly askew and in need of redress.</p> <p>It isn't just government of course, its banks and inurance companies and anyone else on the receiving end of a claim of one sort or another. I myself made a claim just the other day from my insurance company, I could almost hear the scepticism in the mans voice as he listened to my explanation of what happened. I could almost feel him referencing some cue card or watching some program on his computer screen that monitored my voice inflections for traces of suspected fraudulence.</p> <p>I do of course have a choice to move on and source a new insurance company next time though, one that isn't so distrustful, maybe one that doesn't make me feel like some pseudo criminal, yet the reality is that wherever i go they are likely to treat me with the same level of suspicion as any other 'client'. It's a bad world and everyone is guilty until proven otherwise!</p> <p>I'm not going to elaborate too much more as it will be interesting to hear what others think on this. </p> <p>Why do you think there is such a lack of trust in our world? Am I painting an accurate picture of the relationship between the people and the state, people and commerce or is it a whole lot better than I purport? </p> <p>Are people more dishonest than they once were, is there a declining set of moral standards, are we all to blame for the type of governance we have, or is it simply a reaction to an ever increasingly competitive world that forces a branch of 'every man for himself' mentality on us all?</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/09/08/why_are_we_such_a_distrustful_society~2945889/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-09-08:/2007/09/08/dna_database_resist_at_all_costs~2944488/yackyack2007-09-08T09:44:52+02:002007-09-08T09:44:52+02:00 <p>I was reading Stephs blog the other day and read her post on <a href="http://stephiblog.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/the-dna-database-and-civil-liberties/">DNA and Civil liberties</a> I commented over there but thought I'd reproduce it here for furhter comment.</p> <p>The debate stemmed from the comments of Lord Justice Sedley who <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6979138.stm">called for everyone to be put on the national DNA database</a> including foreign visitors. On the face of it it seems like a difficult argument to resist, who can really argue effectively against measures that would ( if we are to believe in the science) make the identification of perpetrators of rape, child killing and murder so much easier.</p> <p>To be honest if I truly trusted those who governed me, if I hadn’t bore witness to a long list of civil abuses of power in my short time on this planet, if I hadn’t read books like 1984 and subsequently seen parallels in my own everyday life, if there truly was some means of ensuring that my very personal essence and blueprint, god given, biological, non political, non partisan, naturally created material exclusive to me could only ever be used to detect murderous or sexually abusive or violent crime then, perhaps, just perhaps I could well live with it. How can anyone seriously argue that a technology that actually identifies the perpetrator of a crime, that could well be commited again on others within our community, endangering the lives of our sisters and brothers, daughers and sons not be used? </p> <p>I certainly can’t, not without being mocked and derided as an irresponsible idiot; yet like so many others have identified this isn’t what people have issue with. People have a serious issue with trust, they simply don't (rightly so too) trust those who’d be entrusted to ensure it was used in the right way. Data would be leaked and sold and companies would use this data in sneaky underhand ways. Forget the data protection act, that’s circumvented and ignored daily, its an old clunky mechanism that just cant keep up and is poorly policed.</p> <p>People would be be right not to trust that cold hearted rationale that would for examples sake, take the chance and probability out from say, medical or life insurance. Companies like these would jump on arguments that say that open disclosure of ones DNA profile should be a requirement of being accepted into a policy. It would be used to develop multiple policies tailored specifically towards certain types of ailements. People would be frightened to the ends of the earth with probabilities that said, your gene profile shows you have a predisposition to cancer or (insert any other number of possible nasty later life diseases) and would be expected to pay the appropriate amount. Society would become eugenicised by a system that made living with a later possibility an economic burden. People would be expected to submit a ‘clean’ DNA profile to prospective employers or life partners, who’d want to knowingly pass on a death sentence or disability to their yet to be had offspring? What company would want to invest thousands of pounds in a person who might be dieing of leukaemia some 4 years down the line?</p> <p>No, DNA profiling needs to be used for research into gene therapies and stuff that contributes to the greater good without damaging or spoiling the lives of those who live today and tommorrow and thats that nothing else, ever.As much as it pains me to say I really must be satisfied with what we have today (crime detection wise) and live with the consequences of its shortcomings. I think the law as it stands today is simply ill equipped to deal with the pandoras box of issues that would stem from such a policy. I relly dont want to live a life in a society that legislates reactively. Put some very solid, cast iron , irreversible protective measures in place 1st, then I might, just might have a second look. Not today though, no way.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/09/08/dna_database_resist_at_all_costs~2944488/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-09-05:/2007/09/05/wear_a_seatbelt_there_be_robots_out_ther~2931206/yackyack2007-09-05T20:45:55+02:002007-09-05T20:55:47+02:00 <p>Ok, so lots of people say anyone who doesn't wear a seatbelt is a moron and should be prosecuted and fined and all that punitive nonsense.</p> <p>I disagree.</p> <p>If I want to be an idiot, if I want to risk headbutting my airbag or flying through the windscreen then that should be my personal choice, it shouldn't be for the state to say I must. </p> <p>I just got pulled for not weraing a seatbelt on a trip into town to get some money from the hole in the wall. Net result is a £30 fine. Lovely.</p> <p>Now i know there are lots of arguments out there in favour of wearing the damn things but jesus, have a bit of leniency in the system for christs sake. I genuinely forget to belt up and get whacked with a £30 fine! its just not far i tell you. Yeah yeah, i hear all those voices saying, aha Rob well at least you'll think twice next time and all that stuff but still....</p> <p>The motorist in the uk is such an easy target, we are a milked cash cow, criminalised and chased at every opportunity. I really really really dislike the mentality in this country that says bossy boots copper can dole out tickets willy nilly for piffling little things like failing to wear a poxy seat belt. If you look at the legislation it gives all manner of exemptions. If you are an emergency services person then it allows you discretion. This I can understand. It also allows people who drive people for hire (licensed taxis) for example an exemption from the law. Why? What is it about a cab driver that excludes them from the possibilty of flying through windscreens or nutting the steering wheel?</p> <p>The law is an ass, either its dangerous to not wear a seat belt or it isn't. If a copper or a fireman or an ambulance worker needs to eject themselves from their vehicle quickly, then i can understand that a belt might impede them. But hang on, what if i were in an accident and happened to be constrained by the belt, what if the car was on fire and i couldnt release the damn thing, what then? Burn perhaps? </p> <p>On balance i'm sure the damn things are probably safer to wear than not but it really should be my right to decide on whether I wear one or not.It's nanny state interference!</p> <p>£30 feckin quid!!! Bastard. I asked the pc concerned whether or not she'd perhaps had a bad day and whether she enjoyed just pissing people off and ruining their day, to which she replied, ive had a great day sir, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if....fuckin robot! hang on i said, interrupting her, talk to me like a human being for christs sake, don't dehumanise me behind that facade of thing you think is justice...Sir, she responded, i'm just doing my job, I have no discretion over such things...what a fuckin robot.</p> <p>At this point i gave up, no point antagonising a robot, they just call in the other robots and rip your car to bits to find something else to slap you with.</p> <p>can anyone see where Im coming from here? can anyone see that she really didn't have to issue that ticket, she could have just told me off and warned me that if she saw me again she'd ticket me. No discretion indeed, what bollocks is that? Let me guess, she'll go back to the station and wear a lie detector that will recognise that she saw a naughty motorist without a seatbelt and thus gwt reprimanded for behaving like a human?</p> <p>If you are a policeman or woman reading this, then jesus christ, try and behave like a human, and if you don't or don't want to even, then at least take a little look inside yourself and question why youve become such a horrible bastard at least. It just really isn't necessary.</p> <p>end of rant.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/09/05/wear_a_seatbelt_there_be_robots_out_ther~2931206/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-09-05:/2007/09/05/thomsonfly_com_poor_customer_service~2928474/yackyack2007-09-05T12:19:49+02:002007-09-07T10:51:48+02:00 <p>I had to change a flight detail for a flight to Ibiza today.</p> <p>I sat on the phone for 75 minutes!! Before deciding to give up the ghost.</p> <p>What appalling customer service this is. "Your call is important to us, a customer service representative will be with you as soon as one becomes available"</p> <p>What a lot of old bollocks that is. More like, your call to our premium rate 0870 prefix number is important to us!</p> <p>Why can't companies just offer a decent after sales service? Is it so much to ask for a quick accessible easy to use service? I'll never book with these people again. So for the sake of screwing me over for 75 minutes at 10p per minute, they've lost a future customer.</p> <p>Lots of my friends fly all over Europe too. I'll be telling them the same too. Do not use thomsonfly.com. </p> <p>ad: Need a <a href="http://www.cheap-flight-deals.com">cheap flight</a>? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/09/05/thomsonfly_com_poor_customer_service~2928474/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-23:/2007/08/23/czech_republic_was_great~2858955/yackyack2007-08-23T20:27:28+02:002007-08-23T20:27:28+02:00 <p>I went to the Czech republic a few days back. </p> <p>Went kayaking down the river Berounka en route to Prague with a group of Czechs. </p> <p>What a marvellous group of people they were too, I'll post some pics when I get them.</p> <p>It was really cool to get immersed into a different mindset and culture, even if I couldn't understand a word of what most of them were on about the majority of the time!</p> <p>I must say though, they piss all over us brits for hospitality. Generous and warm hearted was the impression they left me with.</p> <p>How about this though, 15 of us, drank all night from like 730pm to 5am, ate copious amounts of grub and basically sang and danced the whole night through. The bill at the end of the evening, for all 15 of us was just 1600 crowns or Koruny. That's about £39-00 mad eh? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/23/czech_republic_was_great~2858955/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-11:/2007/08/11/shish_for_breakfast_a_civilised_way_to_s~2789948/yackyack2007-08-11T08:56:51+02:002007-08-11T08:56:51+02:00 <p>Ok, a little recipe for that unusual brekfast offering.</p> <p>Take one unopened lamb shish kebab from the night before.</p> <p>Open it up and remove the lettuce onions and tomato.</p> <p>Put it in a dish</p> <p>Take soggy pitta bread and cold cooked lamb chunks and throw on plate.</p> <p>Stick plate and nuke aforementioned in microwave for 1 minute 10 seconds.</p> <p>Pile salad on top of steaming culinary delight, and eat with knife and fork.</p> <p>Wash down with <del>opened half drank bottle of stella</del> nice cup of coffee </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/11/shish_for_breakfast_a_civilised_way_to_s~2789948/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-10:/2007/08/10/london_still_rocks~2789051/yackyack2007-08-10T23:49:35+02:002007-08-10T23:49:35+02:00 <p>For a night on the piss..</p> <p>Just got back home after a night on the hit and miss with a few pals. Nothing ever change, oh no (name that tune)</p> <p>It's great really, even coming back on the train on the way home was a giggle. If I ad 2 bob for every woman who flirted with me I'd be 10p richer <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>As I said in an earlier communique - its good to hook up with friends and talk bollocks. </p> <p>Kings cross really isn't so bad these days</p> <p>Dobrou Noc</p> <p>x </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/10/london_still_rocks~2789051/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-10:/2007/08/10/no_more_les_miserables~2786683/yackyack2007-08-10T15:35:21+02:002007-08-10T15:35:21+02:00 <p>Sometimes I think my tendency to exercise my have a good rant and moan muscle tends to take over and I just go into one. That's not good and I'm glad it's not encouraged either. Moaning and whining achieves not very much at all. Things like that Ive decided, are best aired over a pint or 25 with a mate who tells you to shut your cakehole.</p> <p>I hereby declare that from this day forth, I will do my utmost not to blog about negative existential crap. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Who want's to read about that stuff anyway?</p> <p>Bright and fluffy is where it's at.</p> <p>End of broadcast </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/10/no_more_les_miserables~2786683/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-05:/2007/08/05/sweaty_james~2758198/yackyack2007-08-05T11:59:07+02:002007-08-05T13:24:01+02:00 <p><img src="http://data4.blog.de/media/620/1856620_e0b65f3481_m.jpeg" alt="route" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="345" height="375" align="left">Doesn't look far does it? 9.3 miles according to that map. I'm dripping like a proverbial, damn it was hot out there but really satisfying too. On e the way there were these two big grey horses in some field somewhere, anti social feckers mind, I stopped and said hello and made a few click click noises with me teeth but they weren't interested. Perhaps its my lack of horse like features, or maybe it was the bluebottle sunglasses, or IPOD blaring out those whiney bastard Stereophonics.</p> <p>Enroute I found out to my cost that in this place called Charlton there's this huge big hill that seems to go on forever. Even for a fat fit bloke like me, it really was a push, I had to get off the bike at one point and let my heart have a breather. I passed a few more experienced cyclists (eg those who wear all the gear and stuff) who were yep, you guessed it, going *down* this big hill rather than up. I did feel a little like a james as they whooshed on past me with grins on their boats. Anyways, I wasn't too peturbed cos I knew that at the end of it all what goes up must come down so knew that eventually I'd be rewarded with a big fuck off downward stretch myself, which I eventually found only to have my baseball cap blown off halfway down, which was a bit of a bugger as I had to get off the bike and walk back up to get the hat.</p> <p>Still, I'm pleased nonetheless, new routes are all good, a little like a mystery tour you keep going and going - when you think youve gone far enough you bear left and keep on doing so til you see a villiage name you recognise. Its amazing how charged and refrshed you can feel after a good workout, especially on a gorgeous day like this. I'm gonna go for a little cruise now down to the ex bro inlaws with the old top down on the jam. A nice cup of tea and a natter seems to be in order.</p> <p>Barbie round a pals at 3, Amber reckons she might come too, but made me laugh when she said.."I dunno dad, I might come with ya, depends what I'm doing really" IOW, dad you'll do if there's nothing better on the agenda.</p> <p>Kids, gotta love em <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/05/sweaty_james~2758198/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-05:/2007/08/05/cheers~2757731/yackyack2007-08-05T10:07:49+02:002007-08-05T10:07:49+02:00 <p><img src="http://data4.blog.de/media/372/1856372_e518532ee6_m.jpg" alt="simpsons" vspace="5" hspace="5"></p> <p>I'm off out for a cycle and a day in the currant. Have a good day all <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/05/cheers~2757731/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:robwatts.blog.co.uk,2007-08-04:/2007/08/04/loving_the_sun~2755888/yackyack2007-08-04T20:17:14+02:002007-08-04T20:17:14+02:00 <p>What a top sunny day it was in my neck of the woods tody. The kids got back at 830am from Crete so were a little grouchy due to no kip and whatnot but by and large seemed pleased to see me when I picked them up at lunchtime.</p> <p>Amber moaned like hell, cos i had the top down.."Me hair dad me hair.." jesus like yeah ok, darling, I'll leave the top up, just for you sweetie, just cos your hair looks nice... Here wear my baseball cap and shut your cakehole.</p> <p>The Spanish kids were over from, yup you guessed it Spai n- two little sweeties, Hoolia (Julia) and Natasha. Jake came over and Kelly showed her boat too. We had cake and bits and bobs, and a big fuck off paddling pool in the garden whereby we all did the water fight thing. God knows what those snobby arsed neighbours of theirs thought but feck em, serves em right for being offish and having an Aston Martin DB9 in the garage! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Shall I go off on one and get all metaphorical about the sun, my son, kids and appreciation and life and all that stuff?</p> <p>Nah, can't be arsed, i think I'll call me Czech friend in Moravia and see whats up</p> <p>Hope you all enjoyed your day, wherever you were.</p> <p>xx</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://robwatts.blog.co.uk/2007/08/04/loving_the_sun~2755888/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>