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Saturday, July 19th, 2008
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9:43 pm - Ladies and Gentlemen,
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| Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
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5:51 pm - The postman came...
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.. and as normal, like most normal people, I was at work so he took my parcel to the post office for me to collect. So I did.
I am now home and am looking at 6 original Balto story boards! Which ones I hear you say? Only the White Wolf scene of course!
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| Friday, May 30th, 2008
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10:40 pm - Writer's Block: The Only True Question:
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Pirates all the way, ninjas groom children on the internet and tickle your grandma when you aren't looking
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9:51 pm - Why is the rum always gone?
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Oh yeah.. that's why
I think my favourite spirits for making cocktails has to be rum (dark, lights, gold, what ever) and gold tequila, but not always at the same time. I have gotten quite into mixology and have learnt most of the classics a long with some newer versions too such as a James Tea Kirk aka Adios Mother Fucker, Ninja Turtles, Bikini Martinis and Cactus Jacks. My favourites though are old school, I am quite partial to a Mojito or 2, or 6 and a good old Margarita is always a winner.
I have had a really busy month with work, we have been doing our surveys where I have walked over 1000km of footpaths, bridleways and the odd byway. I have seen some amazing sights that you just wouldn't associate with Essex, in some areas it has felt like a different part of the country, I have seen wildlife and odd garden decorations (remember the dinosaurs?) and in others I have feared for my life or even my anal virginity. I am pretty tired out after a month of walking but I did finish my allocated paths and some extra on top of that which makes me look good.
Although the weather has turned a little bit I have been making the most of the sunshine we had with varius bike activities and Kate and I even made it to an airshow which could have been better but bad weather grounded quite a few of the planes.
I have also had my picture posted in the local paper on page 2 which is cool, I will scan it in for people to see when I get a chance, it was taken at the local Police open day which I brought my bike down to for the purposes of shopwing off.. I mean providing entertainment.
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| Sunday, May 11th, 2008
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10:30 pm - Snaaaaaaaake
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| Saturday, May 10th, 2008
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9:25 am
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SEX
It works because you are now reading this..
Since my last update... I am probably going to forget so much but I thought I really should get back into the swing of things so lets start with work.
Work has been great, I am still really happy with my job and although some days in the office can be a bit slow there is still quite a lot happening to keep me on my toes. We have had quite a lot of publicity recently including TV coverage due to our long distance walk winning an award for 'Best Hidden Treasure' or something like that. It is basically a route (called teh Essex Way) using public footpaths, bridleways etc which starts the London end of Essex (last stop for the tube trains) and goes right across to the coast line. A walker could make a week of it if they chose to.
This moth is where everything kicks off, we are doing a massive survey of 5% of all public rights of way in Essex and I am covering about 500km (what is that in real measurements?? Why don't we use miles??). Basically it involves walking the section of whatever path is on my map, checking that it is usable and has the directional signage etc and then walking back, so in fact once I walk back to the car I actually have about 1000km to walk because it is doubled up. But what a fantastic time to be doing it! The weather has been so nice and I had a farmer's tan line (tanned forearms, head and a red neck lol) just after the first day. I have seen a lot of wildlife ranging from rabbits to foxes, hares to slow worm and all the wild flowers are out in those places you just can't see unless you leave the road.
Moving on from work last weekend I had my dad over as it was the long three day bank holiday and I had been on at him to come down for ages! We had bought some supplies on the Saturday morning and he arrived at about 5pm. Kate cooked a nice dinner and we caught up before going to bed. On the Sunday we had planned on going out early but some how we ended up working on my garden as it was a mess, we completely blitzed it and now I would safely say it is a space we can enjoy. After we finished we went to a small country pub which was having a beer festival with something like 500 different Belgium beers. We tried a few different ones for a couple of hours before going home for more beer and some cocktails! I have been getting quite good at making cocktails and it was quite nice to experiment on someone.. but after so long it doesn't matter how it tastes anymore! On Monday we had most of the day before he went home, we went for a walk in Burnham a long the sea wall and then had a fish 'n' chip pub lunch before he went back to Yorkshire.
Last night we had a couple of friends over, Colin and Jenny, who are the husky people I help out, it was nice to see them and Kate made dinner so we chatted and drank wine until 10ish before they went home, it was good to see them both and we need to do things like that more often but time always seems to be so short! So that brings me up to date, today we need to go shopping and I just typed a whole entry without talking about motorbikes once.. damn that counts doesn't it?
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| Saturday, April 5th, 2008
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5:11 pm - Tardistastic
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So what have I been up to? I've been learning cocktail recipies as a good way to keep me out of trouble, I have been building up a good collection of various drinks for mixing and have learnt quite a lot. It started because I had a lot of JD after Christmas and wanted to use it in some interesting ways s well as good old fashioned 'on the rocks' so I looked up some recipies and went for it.
Fairly recently I was put in touch with someone who had a load of spares for my bike as he had the same model but had removed everything that was police from the bike and had changed it into a normal civilian model. As he had no use for the parts I bought everything from him so now I had a nice strobe box for the rear, a second siren system, a second set of bags and a few odds and sods which I still need to go and pick up so that was a result. I am going to get a friend of mine to spray the bags black so I have a second colour option which will be cool.
Well new series of Dr Who is on tonight and I have a friend coming over so I probably won't make it onto Balto chat so have a good one all the same (though I might be able to say a very late hello before bed)
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| Monday, March 24th, 2008
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5:45 pm - Belated Happy Easter
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I think last Easter I posted a video of Jesus singing 'I Will Survive'. I am afraid I don't have anything this year..
Been ill for the last week with some horrible coldy/man flu virus which I refused to phone in sick for but it has taken me ages to get over it so come the weekend I thought it was a good idea to do a couple of bike events. Now let me tell you that manflu, motorbikes and SNOW does not mix! The latter don't mix on a good day but add it all up and you don't have a fun time which is a real shame as both the events should have been really good. Instead the first was a cold wet waste of time and the second was OK but not half as good as it should have been. I am complaining but this is the first bankholiday I have not had to work in about two years so that is at least a good thing! I just wish the weather had been a bit more Easter-like.
Have a look at the photos (from today) below, see the black bike near mine? You might not recognise it but that is my old Harley!
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| Thursday, March 20th, 2008
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6:50 pm - One week on..almost
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Morocco was fantastic! What more can I say? Well not a lot so let some photos do the talking instead
Sunshine!
( Read more... )
I had never been to what is considered a third world country before and it was quite an eye opener. Pizzas for about £2, a full dinner in a nice restaurant for about £5 and as many mopeds as you could ever possibly want to get run over by! Seriously it was crazy, on the wrong side of the road, on the pavements, no lights at night, these little moped guys didn't care but we never saw an accident. I still wouldn't want to drive there though!
I also learnt a little about Islam too, I think the media is very guilty of giving us one bomb related view of Islam but when you go out to an Arab country and meet some of the most friendly welcoming people in the world you really can't believe all that you hear. It was very interesting to see everyone stop for prayer at set times in the day and see how peaceful the people really were.
It was a really nice holiday and the weather was a million times better than this country ever has (and that was their winter!) so I think it is safe to say that I'd go back.
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| Saturday, March 8th, 2008
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9:25 am - Back for a day
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The training course I just got back from went pretty well. It was in Snowdonia in Northern Wales and set in not only fantastic countryside but also in a house called 'Plas Tan y Bwlch' which translates into the Mansion in the gap (of the rocks) and it was huge! Basically it looked like a castle but was built early in the 1800s with all the grand design you would expect.. but it didn't have a tv in the rooms so we all resorted to the bar each night instead which was probably a better choice anyway.
What I found strange was although being so close to England (but still a six hour drive for me) everyone spoke Welsh! Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised by that but I found it very strange being in what felt like a foreign country but luckily the course was all in English.
The course went very well, it was really interesting and covered everything I need to know about my new job to do with looking after these Public Rights of Way (PROW). I was always quite interested in the footpaths, bridleways and byways on a conservation point of view and being able to work outdoors but I never really appreciated what these really were. At the end of the day a single footpath, the track running from field to field is ancient, when you walk on one you are following thousands of other folk who have been walking that path for anything up to two thousand years and that path has always been the same although the surrounding have changed. That to me is amazing and I can't wait to get out there and start looking after that heritage.
Anyway I can't relax yet, got a few things I need to tie up today as we are going to Morocco tomorrow morning for a week! I can't wait as it will be lovely and hot and the exchange rate is something stupid like one pound = 20 whatever they have. Expect photos when I get back!
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| Saturday, March 1st, 2008
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5:26 pm - First week down..
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What a mad week it has been. Of course it is the first week of my job and I really have been thrown into the deep end of it all, in a good way of course! I have done a mix of office based stuff (getting to know where things are, basic laws and of course the many government policies of how not to do things) and some work outside with volunteers and seeing some farmers. It has been a lot of fun and everyone is very friendly as well as enthusiastic both about me joining them and about what they do. It is nice and a massive contrast to my previous job.
It is strange though because I have barely had a week to settle in and now I will not be back for another two weeks later! It was a bit short notice but my Line Manager has booked me into a training course in Northern Wales (about 6 hours away) and I will be there for the whole week but when I return I will be on vacation in Morocco for the next week (which I am really looking forward to!).
Right now the house looks like a bomb has gone off because we are going to a party tonight and it is fancy dress (the best sort of party) and it's cow boy themed. What is convenient is that it I have a lot of clothes that could be cow boy and with a few additions which I bought today I am going as Burt Reynolds the evil Sheriff which you always get in some sort of Western. Katie is going as a whore which kinda makes me her pimp I suppose.. should be interesting and you can imagine photos will be coming soon!
Speaking of photos I picked up my new car this morning, it is a very nice little Skoda (with a VW engine) and I am pretty pleased with it. It is very clean and although it looks rather small on the outside it is HUGE on the inside which is why I have named it 'the TARDIS'
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| Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
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6:13 pm - I am the proud owner...
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.. of a very sexy Skoda (let the jokes commence!) which I have just bought from a local garage. It is a year 2000 model so not too old and comes with a 1.3 Litre engine and more importantly a CD player. It is very spacious inside even though it is quite a small car, I think I got a good deal on it and it is very low milage but I won't have it back here until next weekend. Expect photos when that happens, until then I just have to get my head around owning four vehicles now...
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| Friday, February 22nd, 2008
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5:06 pm - BarnYard
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Just saw the majority of said movie and it has left me kind of confused. Apart from the obvious question of how can pigs, cows, chickens and one ferret (I think) ride custom motorcycles, what sort of owners leave all their keys in such expensive vehicles?? I suppose you aren't meant to ask such questions but I can't help but wonder why the male cows had udders? Transexual maybe?
The story was typical but running along the predator vs prey sort of thing, in this case Coyotes, and in all honesty I wanted them to win the fight. I think the studio also spent most of its budget on these characters many of whom were just side or background characters.
The animation was odd, it all had a very plastic look to it and although the characters were there in front of different backgrounds, it didn't feel like they were really *there* like there was no shadow or anything. I also couldn't get my head around the slightly stoned (or possibly just slow) yet obviously ripped off from Shrek; Donkey.
Adam's verdict: Pants.
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9:56 am - That Friday Feeling
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I have never really had 'that Friday feeling' before since I have always had work the next day. I am looking forward to experiencing it as of next week when I am working normal hours.
Wenesday was fun, I helpe out a Blues Brothers tribute act with some publicity which involved me following one of the original 20 cars used in the first movie, complete with megaphone on the roof, around South End on my Harley with lights and siren going. We then parked up out side the theatre and were later joined by two more classic police cars. The show inside was really good too, I have never seen a full on Blues Brothers act before except the little one they do at Universal Studios and was very impressed.
( In Blues We Trust )
Yesterday I spent the time cleaning the house and my bike as it was covered in road salt (*ick*) and I handed back my uniform to the zoo which was quite fun as it really was the last loose end I had to tie up. I didn't hang around I jumped on my bike and got the hell outta dodge!
I don't know what I'll do today, I haven't had any luck in finding a car yet so for the first week at least I am thinking about getting the bus into work as I can't be bothered with riding the bike; too much gear to carry round. Will see how long it takes for that to get old!
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| Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
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2:40 pm - Happy Tuesday
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I am well into my holiday from life and it has been fairly productive today. I had to go into Chelmsford to get some more mice for Jack so armed with a backpack and my little Honda, I charged into what is fast becoming a rather cold icy day! As I was going out I thought I would check out some car garages (probably spurred on by how cold I was!) and so far I have had little success. I thought it was simple really, I have two grand to spend and I want something small, cheap on fuel and cheap to insure. It seems you can easily get something for under one grand and then nothing until you hit three grand! Where have all the other cars gone? I don't want a banger but I don't want a BMW either! I suppose I'll carry on looking for now.
I do need to put the Harley back together too, I have been cleaning it over the last couple of days only to get it dirty tomorrow when I am doing a Blues Brothers thing with it in South End. It should be fun but I bet I get cold!
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| Monday, February 18th, 2008
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1:19 pm - Holiday from life
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I have officially left Tropical Wings as of Saturday just gone, I start my new job next Monday which means now, I have a week off to do as I like! I do need to get ready for my new job but at the same time it will give me plenty of time to relax and to get all those things done that I don't normally have time for. It seems like such a long time since I have had some real time off, Christmas doesn't count because it is so tiring anyway, but just having a couple of days off at least is a luxury. I felt so tired and drained towards the end of my employment that I just wanted to sleep which I think is the problem with only having one day off at a time instead of a weekend.
I had a small leaving do on Saturday night at the local pub close to work, I didn't do anything big like I did when I left Danbury as I don't really think that the people I worked with would have been up for it. I was a little sad to leave because I really felt that the job had beaten me in some way but I just had to do something about it because it was like flogging a dead horse. I was in a catch 22 situation where I wanted to be trained up and actually go somewhere with it but the boss wasn't prepared to train me (or anyone for that matter) because if we left it would be a waste (stupid I know). I was saying that if I don't get training then I'll leave which would only prove their lack trust right in the end. Well I have always thought you may as well do the crime if your going to do the time so instead I chose to go somewhere else where I would be treated like an adult and be trusted to do the job that I am supposed to do.
A few people were sad to see me go and I'll miss most of them, in fact all the regular folk like me were cool, it is just the managers that did our heads in but then that ios what managers do right? I suppose when you look at people above you who have no qualifications what so ever to be doing that job, while throwing their weight around and avoiding any work themselves makes you loose respect very quickly. Quite a lot of people are leaving though so it will be interesting to see what happens with the place in the future. It has a very high staff turn over anyway and I don't think they will ever work out or even care why. Yes I am better off moving on.
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| Thursday, February 14th, 2008
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7:35 pm
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3:47 pm - Two days to go!
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Two more working days before I finish my job for good! The I have a week off before starting my new job as a Public Rights of Way Officer! In this time between I need to buy some new clothes as I don't really own many smart shirts, trousers etc as I have never had a job where I need them! I suppose the biggest purchase I need to think about is a car, I don't want to ride the motorbike in each day as I will have to get changed out of my leathers while lugging my crash hat around all day. No much easier (and warmer) to drive into work while listening to the radio. Car wise I am thinking small and economical as I don't want to spend a fortune on petrol so either a 1.3 max petrol engine or a 1.4 desiel will do. I have been looking at Skoda as a potential make, there are quite a few low milage newish ones on the market for under two grand and as they are owned by VW I don't need to worry about reliability issues of the past.
Work has been quite good fun for the last couple of weeks since I handed my resignation in, although I have been pretty bored at times with no work to do, the whole atmosphere has been pretty relaxed and fun. It is a shame they hadn't behaved like that to me in the first place as I would never had looked for another job.
I am feeling very tired and run down so I really can't wait for this week off, the problem with working this schedule is with one day off you never feel like you have had the time to rest and I don't think I will ever take having weekends off for granted ever again. Likewise I hope I never have to work them again!
Anyway right now I am doing some much needed filing...
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| Friday, February 1st, 2008
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7:05 pm - I did it
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I have been moaning about my work for a little while now but most people probably don't remember me dropping a small reference into applying for a job at Essex County Council. I applied way before Christmas and pretty much gave up hope as I did not hear anything at all into the best part of January. You can imagine my surprise a week ago when I received a letter requesting I come to an interview! I had to prepare a presentation for the first part adn then the rest would be questin based so I started blowing the cobwebs from PowerPoint.
I had the interview on last Tuesday (I told work I had a doctors appointment) and I thought it went pretty well, my presentation flowed just how I wanted it to and I managed to answer every question with good examples from my three most recent jobs, and some from University as well. We actually ended up going over the time allowed as they had lots of questions about my present job and why I want to leave. I told them that I was looking for more of a career as I wanted to do normal adult things in the future like buying houses etc.
I asked when I would hear from them either way and they said hopefully by the end of the next day (wednesday) so the very next day I spent the whole time checking my phone. I didn't hear anything all day and when 5.30 came and went I thought that was it. But then at 6pm I got a call saying that I was successfull and I got the job!!
I broke the news to work today and pretty much shocked everyone as they had no clue I was even looking, but people are both pleased for me but sad to see me leave. But I only have to give them a couple of weeks notice and I am taking a week between to relax and get my stuff together for the new one. I need to buy a lot of clothes and I will be looking for a car, just something small, cheap and easy to keep running. Nothing exciting, just something to get me to Chelmsford and back.
So anyway I am offcially a 'Public Rights of Way Officer' for the local government, I will be working part of a team looking after all the PRoW around the Essex countryside like bridleways and byways (which I already ride my motorbikes down :D). It sounds very interesting and there are some projects that will keep me nice and busy. I am just very excited at the prospect of getting onto a career which will actually pay me money for a change! I can't wait :D
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| Thursday, January 24th, 2008
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4:08 pm - Day Off, Woo!
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Some much needed rest, all my days off recently have been quite busy, getting up early for a breakfast run on the bikes or something similar as well as my ability to wake up stupidly early have all helped to make me feel tired. Well not today anyway, I had a nice lay in and watched some tv in bed before getting up but in addition to this, I have also managed to get over my sleep problems recently and the only thing I can put it down to is stress. The only thing on my mind now is the interview I have on Tuesday which I am looking forward to.
Today after getting dressed I headed over to Maldon to get some lightbulbs for my Honda which has eaten all of my spares! While over there I went to say hi to my friends at the Harley garage before coming back here. I fitted another light bulb and washed the Harley as it has been out and about recently which also gave me a chance to meet our new neighbours which are presently moving in next door. They seem nice.
It has been a bit too mild recently for this time of year and it does worry me, last night we went out on the bikes to the local bike club where we ended up all chatting outside in the carpark all night, at this time of year it should be way too cold for that! It was a nice night though and was good to ride the Harley again after having it stuck in the garage for so long since the winter started. It was also good to see my friend Mick who has bought his first Harley and has been grinning ever since! He got it for a good price and it is a nice bike, a 1200 Sportster similar to one I used to have. Roll on summer is all I can say to it all!
Now I must get back to creating a PowerPoint presentation for this interview on Tuesday, you got to love role play :P
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