1. Getting too serious!

    February 22, 2012 by admin

    I was horrified when I found out that Mum reads this drivel that I turn out pretty much every day.

    Sis had referred to it at some stage and with her interest piqued Mum must have just searched for Chris Evans, and after pages of the ginger one she must have found me.

    But the funny part of that is that she didn’t actually let on until last night when she told me that the posts in my internet diary as she calls it are demonstrating that I’m settling down a bit at last, even if I don’t have a girlfriend.

    It’s true I guess. At first I was writing in the laddish style that I like to think I live my life, but fact is I’m in my 30s and getting tired out after a night on the town. I still love the girls though – can’t imagine that changing.

    The folks are in town tonight for a show and staying at the Jesmond Dene it’s a London Bed and Breakfast place near Kings Cross that they took a liking to a while back. They know a few of the team there now and it’s certainly better than trying to put them up at my place. It takes me an age to tidy up before they come, and then I can’t find anything for weeks. If I don’t tidy up you can see mum just itching to do the dishes, fold my clothes, put cds back in their cases and the like, and if she does it then I definitely won’t find anything afterwards.

    Hopefully there’ll be a curry to be had after their show. That’s the usual shape of things, ideally a south Indian they like just off TCR.

    Category About me, Hotels and accommodation, Work | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Made some bad impulse purchases

    February 21, 2012 by admin

    I love buying stuff I know nothing about.

    Films.

    Books.

    Cds.

    Even food at times.

    I’ve discovered all sorts of great stuff that way.

    An example – James Frey’s A Thousand Tiny Pieces. I bought it because of the sparkly cover. And loved it so much I have since gone on to buy ten further copies for friends. And several people have read my copy.

    But over the last couple of weeks I’ve got it wrong several times.

    I bought (yet another) architecture book from Taschen. Can’t imagine opening it again.

    I bought an album in Fopp by the band Berlin thinking that a trusted friend had recommended it.

    On checking back – he had recommended Berlin the soundtrack by a band I already know. Bollocks.

    I’ve bought Philip Glass symphonies knowing that I love Philip Glass – but not the ones I’ve bought.

    I fear it’ll have clipped my wings for a while. Can’t keep getting it wrong and I’m definitely on a bad streak.

    Perhaps I’ll just go and see a random gig or two to get it out of my system. At least that way I’ll have no evidence of the mistake.

    What do you mean I could take things back? I never take things back. Never have. I know it’s stupid. Sorry.

    Category Books, Music | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Paypal after my arse!

    February 20, 2012 by admin

    Bloody hell.

    I have a Paypal account set up. I like it because I can buy stuff with the click of a button and a password that even I can remember, and then it takes the money from my bank account.

    There is an obvious flaw there – why not pay straight from the bank account in the first place? But that aside it seems to work well.

    Or at least it did.

    At the weekend I got a scary letter from bailiffs threatening to take my house away (well, slight exaggeration) if I don’t pay them £28 quid that they claim I owe Paypal. But the irony is that not only do I owe them nothing, they have direct access to my bank account to take any money that I may at any time owe.

    They don’t answer the phone number they give.

    They haven’t answered any emails.

    And I’m seriously pissed off, and more than a little worried.

    Arse.

    Of course the simple thing to do would be to just pay the amount. But if everyone did that then extortion would become the most viable business in the land.

    Nervous and angry. Better not try to call them again in this state.

    Perhaps another email?

    Category My thoughts | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Getting looked after at the sis’s

    February 18, 2012 by admin

    Just now and then it’s great to go down to Somerset to my sister’s where I get tended hand and foot, eat lovely foot, get to banter with her kids who are becoming dudes in their own right these days, maybe research an a-level essay with them and end up wondering why I didn’t like school as these days learning seems quite interesting.

    We just had a couple of glasses last night and had a rant about a few things, talked holidays and youth and how we now think our parents are quite cool even though we would never have admitted it when we were kids, but we did feel happy with them compared to other friends.

    Today we’ll probably hang around one of the lovely towns near here and I’ll think for a while that the countryside and Somerset is some kind of paradise, before coming to my senses and realising that I’d be bored out of my mind in about two weeks. The same probably goes for my grand idea of living in s big shed somewhere, but it’s fun to dream.

    Sis has a couple of big dogs of indeterminate breed that I love walking when I’m down here. But again, when I think how much fun a dog might be, I only have to think about how hard I find it doing anything with a hangover and I realise what a stupid idea that would be too.

    Category Family | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Still in petrol dream mode

    February 16, 2012 by admin

    So Dad and I chatted for an hour or more about the car.

    You know that ten years ago he’d have done his fatherly duty and done his best to put me off being an idiot, but not now. He’s well up for it and talking about clearing out his garage. Mother likes it too, its very much her era, she would have been in her 20s when it was new and I bet she would have been after any fella driving one of these! Mind, dad wasn’t slow in the car stakes, he always had a soft topped something and even had an e-type for a few months.

    Where I want to get the conversation now is for them to go halfs with me, put it in their garage, I’ll use it now and then, and they can use it when they like. And I’m pretty confident that they’ll go for it.  just need to pick my moment.

    I didn’t know that I could put something like this on a classic insurance policy, but it turns out it would be cheap as chips. Well, a two hundred quid bag of chips, but that’s not bad at all. Insured at the folks place and garaged. Only the tax is a bit cruel, I could do with finding something pre – 1972 to shed the tax burden altogether.

    Category Cars, Driving | Tags: | No Comments

  6. For the love of an old car – again

    February 15, 2012 by admin

    Oh dear.

    A few drinks and then I started searching the web for cars. Again.

    And came across this beauty: Link. Sorry, I wanted to drop a picture into the blog post, but word press wouldn’t let me.

    It’s a w114 Mercedes Coupe, the fore runner of the modern day E class. This one was ordered in Malta and kept there for many years, then looked after by a collector in Bristol.

    If it’s anything like as good as it says it is then I could be thinking of how on earth I can own it!

    A two door (huge doors at that) in old white, with beautiful looking red leather, only 54,000 miles (blimey, when we were kids dad used to do that in a year). It’s a shame it’s not quite old enough to qualify for the tax free status as it’ll actually cost quite a lot to tax, to insure, to put petrol in, oh, and I’d need to keep it somewhere.

    Dad would love it too, maybe he’d let me keep it at his place?

    It’s for sale in Warminster which is pretty near where my sister lives. I could get a bunch of points by going to see her at the weekend, catch the train down, then go see the jalopy, and if it’s love at first sight then drive her home to London, keep it here for a bit, then take it to the folks’ place.

    Scarily it all seems to be resembling something of a plan!

    Category Cars | Tags: | No Comments

  7. Done in, big time.

    February 13, 2012 by admin

    Wow, I finished the driving job this morning and I’m utterly done in. Mind you I did have a first pick up at 4.10 to go to Heathrow. Traffic wasn’t a problem, that was a definite bonus.

    One of the guys I was driving for was having the piss taken because apparently he not has more hair than last time the team met up with him. I was intrigued by this as the old man is losing his and I know he’s worried about it. The chap didn’t seem embarrassed so I asked him what the score was. He said he’s using a treatment called Propecia and he reckons that although it’s not cheap, it is very effective.

    I reckon I’ll get all the details for dad and see if he’s up for giving it a try. I guess really I’m thinking ahead too ’cause if father’s is dropping in his early 50′s mine is likely to do the same and I’m not sure how I’d cope. Given the effectiveness of Rooney’s transplant I wouldn’t mind even having that done I reckon.

    Nothing to worry about yet though. The thatch is good and thick still, but I usually have so much shit in it I don’t actually know what it’s real state is.

    I’m forcing myself to stay up at the moment so that I have a good chance of getting a proper sleep later. I could easily just go lie on the sofa now, but that really wouldn’t do. The most important thing is that I now have a good extra wedge in my pocket. Bingo! Good night.

    Category Cars | Tags: | No Comments

  8. Whoa! Not as easy as I thought.

    February 12, 2012 by admin

    Blimey, four days in to this driving lark and the Evans is so bloody tired I don’t know what to do to stay awake.

    I’ve been getting up at stupid o’clock to go pick up people from hotels around town from 6.30, trying to find early morning coffee shops, indigestion remedies, more coffees, and any other interesting requests that may come my way. I’m a runner with a car, and while I’m truly knackered, the main thing I have to do is be places at the right time, think ahead of the people panicking around me, oh, and know routes. I so so wish I’d bought a Tom Tom sat nav type toy before I started.

    There doesn’t seem to be any real plan and no real intention to finish on time, but it’s all good fun.

    Category Cars, Driving, Endurance | Tags: | No Comments

  9. Bit of driving

    February 10, 2012 by admin

    I don’t drive very often despite the fact that I like cars, but I do enjoy getting out on the road when I get a chance, so when the boss asked if I could help one of his mates with a few days driving I leapt at the chance.

    I’m spending a few days with a TV production company driving their clients around looking at venues for a short bit of filming, which I guess is for an advert. Other than the 12 or more hours a day nature of the work so far it’s pretty good. I’m like some kind of runner, getting food, getting coffees, getting this and that. Turning up places and waiting around for hours as they chat and fanny around, but who cares. Every now and then I get to run them to the other side of town, which may take minutes, but may take hours.

    Provided I keep my natural; sarcasm in check and don’t get lost it should be OK. Oh and I forgot to say – I get a swank new Ford Galaxy to drive. I’ve always ignored, or probably not even noticed them on the road, and it’s not exactly cool, but it is a good car. Quite high, fast and economical. Not for the Evans Meister, but nice for the family, and for this sort of work where you need a bit of space.

     

     

    Category Driving | Tags: | No Comments

  10. Fulham and Chelsea

    February 8, 2012 by admin

    I’m a bit of a town boy. I live in town, partly because I love it being at the centre of the action, and largely because I really couldn’t cope with a commute of any distance at al on the tube. I had to nip up to Camden earlier for a meeting at RKCR in the amazing old Wunderman Building. I could have walked but I left it too late and so I hopped on the tube. At 8.45. I fookin hated it! Northern Line rammed with poor sods trying to get to work. And because it’s so cold they’re all wearing twice as many layers as usual so they all take up even more room.

    And buy utter contrast I’m now in a cafe in South Ken with all the beautiful people. The cafe is a true wow! The smell of coffee, cakes, and general fresh beauty is almost overpowering. There’s a Lamborghini garage across the street and everyone is just looking great. Oh if I had a million I’d want to spent it here! And there I was a couple of weeks back thinking I could live in a shed on a plot somewhere out of town!

    Actually I could. I only need this fix of the beautiful every now and then, I wouldn’t want to get used to this. If I did the rest of the world would seem scummier, and I don’t want that. I love most aspects of London, and of life.

    Annoyingly I’ve noticed I’ve slipped back into the habit of mistyping the. Arse. Must concentrate.

    Now then. Another silly named coffee I think.

    Category London | Tags: | No Comments

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