Weekly Quote W/E 29/12/07

A little bit late again, but who'se to quibble over a few days eh? I am ashamed to see I missed a week, but what with christmas shopping and that I can't be blamed surely? Well I'm going to quickly bring you another quote that adorns my Facebook homepage and who knows I might even post something else before the next one!

"To Alcohol! The cause and solution to all life's problems!" - Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

Till whenever we meet again.

Behind the times

I was alarmed to discover that my PC is starting to get well erm...old! I bought two games this christmas, one for myself and one for a friend which I'm now keeping. The alarming thing about the first was that my processor is too slow. For quite some time my 2GHz processor has been head and shoulders above the requirements for games - but the latest Splinter Cell (which ain't that new actually) requires a 3GHz minimum speed to operate. Since I'm something opf a cheapskate I hadn't bought a new game in some time and had assumed my noble steed would bear the brunt of any new game loaded onto it, but apparently not.

Another game will just about squeeze onto my processor's capability, but I was halted in the installation process because there was simply no space on my hard disk to contain it. I found it hard to believe that my 70G had been consumed already, but I couldn't escape the facts or deny that 70G is actually quite a small amount by today's standards. I uninstalled another game and a few useless programs to make room, but I still haven't loaded it out of shock.

While my 1G of RAM still hold it's head high, some games are starting to demand 2G in their lofty "recommended" stats. So what's a boy to do, I do have money to upgrade and maybe get an external hard drive, but with console exclusivity becoming more and more common, the best route may be for me to succumb and get an Xbox 360.

Your sympathy is appreciated

Word of the post: Perennial - adjective

1.	lasting for an indefinitely long time; enduring

P.S. The other game was Star Trek Legacy if you're interested

Merrylicious Festivatal Celebrationism

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to you all!

(Note: that is much harder to type than to say!)

Well the big day has gone, but it's time I blogged about the fun filled malarky that comprises Christmas. The leadup to Christmas did naturally involve some pannicked shopping, running around the streets of Chester, but thankfully I got pretty much all of it done in two sessions, no wait, three. One gift was for a secret santa for the young people's group at my church. I bought a novelty pen that was about a foot long and still worked!!

My novelty present was very novel indeed. When desperately trying to think of ideas for what people could buy me I jokingly suggested that I could do with a green elephant along with a supply of green jelly babies with which to feed it. And sure enough when i openbed the wrapping of my gift I found a green elephant model (hand crafted) and a pack of jelly babies which rather made my day!! I'll post pictures when I get more batteries for my camera.

I actually found myself in a rather odd, unusually charitable state of mind when I was actually just as excited about other people's reactions to their gifts as I was about recieving mine. I don't know whether that means I'm unusually noble or whether I'm getting more apathetic about what I want, but nonetheless it made the day more cheerful. A factor in this is that I have a longstanding tradition of disguising present which makes it more fun. So a DVD was encased in a chocolates tin, complete with scrunched up paper to fool anyone who tried to shake it etc.

I got some good swag myself, I got a donut maker which I've tried out much to my satisfaction and a mountain of sweets with some DVDs and books thrown in. The amount of food was somewhat disturbing so I guess people think I'm a big eater, but my sister got tonnes of perfume and the like so I guess everyone thinks she smells, which is a small consolation.

I've enjoyed some good Christmas telly, notably the Doctor Who and Extras Christmas specials which were excellent and trips to the cinema to see Enchanted and I Am Legend, both of which were top class of their respective genres.

Well that's enough for now I think, see you soon

Word of the post: Vanquished tr.v.

1. 1. To defeat or conquer in battle; subjugate.
   2. To defeat in a contest, conflict, or competition.

Getting on

Yesterday I went to see my old High School's Carol Service and it was a great event and, as always, set to a very high standard. I arrived only just ahead of the children and managed to sneak in just before the opening procesion, barely finding a seat at all. I spotted a few teachers on my way in, but didn't have time to exchange fond memories with a horde of teenagers at my back ready to march in. I managed to find a seat, shamefully asking if it was free in English - habit that would be frowned upon by the educators I'd just passed.

The children marched in and it doesn't seem too long ago that I was one of them, shivering from standing out in the cold in just a shirt and trousers and occasionally having to deal with the added cold of a well placed snowball strike. Admittedly I don't remember too much of those days, but my better memories come from sixth form when I joined the older boys choir, mostly to get out of lessons, but also because I did genuinely enjoy it. It was a great communal experience as we all had to work together and I got to know a few lads from younger years who are still familiar faces and useful contacts at events like these where most people don't know me. I still remember the old anthem we had, which may have tragically been lost - we'd stand around the piano and start singing "Tom is gay and he's got no friends" repeatedly, moving around until everyone had been sung about, what better way is there to pshych each other up?

We also bolstered the teacher's choir, which now seems to have aquired a few more male voices, which is good as my friends and I provided pretty much the whole bass section back in the day. "Back in the day" definitely seems the way to describe it as I've now gone through Uni and come out the other side leaving a three year gulf between myself and those heady days of youth. I was shocked to see a girl I remember as a cohort in the school production on Nicholas Nickleby who was year 7, maybe 8 and is now a member of the Sixth Form, that made me feel very old!!

I managed to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen since A Levels which was a very pleasant reunion and was glad not to be the only one feeling nostalgic and a bit older!! But it was a great experience and I hope to go to many more.

Word of the post: Cloying –adjective

1.	causing or tending to cause disgust or aversion through excess

Weekly Quote W/E 15/12/07

Ok well I slipped in one post, but it's still not brilliant and I don't have a cold to cover me this time so I have to apologise profusely for lack of content once again and pawn you off with a quote.

"I am not so much disapointed as I am blinded with rage" - Fat Tony, The Simpsons

Till next time...

The power of summon

It seems Facebook has powers over more than just communication, in a rare glimpse of it's true power today I met an school friend I hadn't seen for a while. So it appears Facebook has some ability not only to reaquaint you with friends, but to actually summon them to you!! As it continues to grow one wonders at what new capabilities this website might bring...

Or put another way - I saw my friend the day after adding her on Facebook, what a coincidence!!

Word of the post: Shambolic - adj. Chiefly British Slang

Disorderly or chaotic

Weekly Quote W/E 09/12/07

Well I'm abashed to note that a week has passed without a single post of note, perhaps these weekly things will serve as a reminder to actually post stuff on my blog. As for my absence I blame a cold and a busy work schedule. But enough of my whining, here comes another quotation that tickles my fancy.

"No pain, no pain!" - source unknown...to me at least!

Hopefully I'll speak to you soon

Weekly Quote W/E 01/12/07

OK so it's a little bit late, but i was away on the weekend so was unable to add last week's quote. I'm full of cold at the moment so am unable to think of anything else to write so I'll just post up the next quote from my Facebook profile.

"How can I change the world if I can't even change myself?" - Faithless, "Salva Mea"

Till something interesting happens goodbye