MrNoxious

Temp

2010-02-01T12:32:00.001Z

Temp

When Star Wars and World War 2 Collide

2008-05-03T00:07:00.003+01:00

Kitten War

2006-11-18T20:22:00.000Z

Move over Hot or Not, get on over to Kitten War and let the battles commence.

Notice

2006-11-18T20:09:00.000Z

Sealed with a

2006-11-16T21:43:00.000Z

Blogging used to be something I'd do to while away the inbetween time at work, that is inbetween wondering what I was meant to be doing and realising there was nothing much to do. (Or nothing much to do that would make a difference) Hence the reason I've not been blogging of late, inbetween the time I've been wondering how to get everything that needs sorting at work I've been trying to sort out how to get each of my team sorted at work. Which leaves little time for idle surfing. Sometimes I don't think I have enough time to put my head above the ice to catch a breath. But, somehow I know that what I'm doing is making a difference, and that makes it worth doing. Suffice to say, my new job is hard work, but satisfyingly worthwhile.

Baby Animalz

2006-10-26T21:18:00.000+01:00

catz

2006-10-22T23:46:00.000+01:00

Bourn Again

2006-10-07T23:01:00.000+01:00

I've still not recovered from my extensive injuries inflicted whilst tackling the hazards of cannock chase, but I've had more than enough to cheer me up over the last couple of days. Maybe on Monday I'll go see the on-site doctor to check out whether I have anything seriously wrong. That would be the on-site doctor at the largest confectioners in the world, where I start work on Monday :) I've been hired to help support their rollout of Outlook, working on the service-desk in a first line role.
I spent Friday meeting up with the people I'm going to be working with and checking out the site, the office I'll be in has windows... huzzah! The site itself puts where I've worked before to shame, on-site gym, swimming pool, well-stocked canteen, subsidised pub, and the legendary staff shop. And the people I'll be working with seem a great bunch too, what better way to get to know them than a team night out, enough beer was drank to act as a painkiller to my shoulder!

post crash

2006-10-05T09:14:00.000+01:00

post crash
Originally uploaded by mrnoxious.

Yesterday saw me and Grumpy down the dog again, weather conditions - damp, MrNoxious condition - unfit, I need a job soon (watch this space!) so I can get back to commuting on my bike everyday. We got about half way around the course before "it" happened. Section 7 "The Boardwalk", a raised wooden section that splits in 2 at the end giving a choice between carrying on down the foot and a half wide track or trying your luck along a 6 inch wide "skinny" stretch over a muddy bog (the reason for it being a raised section) Guess which way us idiots choose? Or try to, I approached the skinny carrying nowhere near enough speed, which meant balance was way off, sending me off to the right when I should have gone to left. Front wheel first into the water, me off over the bars staring at a nasty looking tree stump. Luckily I hit the softer stuff just before it .. head, neck, shoulder, back, taking the brunt of it. Mr Grumpy dashes to my aid to save my bike and me sinking deeper into the bog. This morning I have a very sore neck.

Down The Dog

2006-10-02T15:28:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit busy doing nothing lately and haven't had a chance to blog, but by request here are the photo's from our latest outing Down the Dog

The End

2006-09-16T23:18:00.000+01:00

The Gorgeous Boys
Originally uploaded by mrnoxious.

Friday 15th September saw the last remaining Birmingham ERM's dissolve....leaving nothing but a Tope. Good job we went out with a bang, in the only way we knew how....Beeeeeeer !!!!!

more pics here

Sheep

2006-09-12T22:21:00.000+01:00

sheep
Originally uploaded by mrnoxious.

Shropshire sheep, somewhere near Ludlow

Jealousy

2006-09-06T10:46:00.000+01:00

BigFootCookie came to work on his new bike today, which means mine has now been reduced to the old clunker of the office. Guess that means it's time for a new bike. Here's some spy shots of one possible candidate, the 2007 Mongoose Teocali Comp.

This isn't a wind-up

2006-08-29T14:08:00.000+01:00

Well actually it is, a wind up robot pencil sharpener, genius. And a bargain at only £3.50 from Hawkin's Bazaar

2006-08-24T11:10:00.000+01:00

cat wheel

another cat blog i'm afraid...this should be hooked up to the national grid!

2006-08-24T10:39:00.000+01:00

Very useful resource portal for all things bike, worth a gander.

Hei, Hyrynsalmi

2006-08-24T10:29:00.000+01:00

This looks like fun, swamp soccer in Finland

As the famous saying goes,

"Great soccer players come from Brazil, great swamp soccer players come from
Finland."

Cat Tree

2006-08-23T15:35:00.000+01:00

Can't stop with the cat blogs at the mo, here's a link to an easy to follow guide on how to Build Your Own Cat Tree. For those that are felinically challenged, that's a place where cats can scratch not a tree made from cats. I'd love to build one myself, but I don't have a cat.

going, going, missed.

2006-08-19T15:41:00.000+01:00

Just stumbled on this great site for bagging a bargain, i'm guessing that's grabbed Cookies attention and when i say the magic word eBay that'll get RedGypsy too!

"Every day thousands of items are listed on auction sites around the world containing spelling mistakes such as 'comuter', 'coomputer' or 'c0mputer' instead of 'computer'. Because these items don't appear in the regular search results less people bid on them so they sell for a lot less.
Thanks to Missing-Auctions.com you can quickly and easily find these mis-spelled auctions and grab yourself a bargain !"

So what are you waiting for, go grab yourself some diemond earings and a cheap furrari!!

Hardy

2006-08-17T09:46:00.000+01:00

After the sad news that Red Gypsy's cat Hardy passed away on Tuesday, I'd like to pay my respects and lift a glass to him. To Hardy.

And to try to cheer you up a bit I'll post a link to Picato.net, a site where cat owners can share pictures of their cuddly bundles of joy.

Red Peril

2006-08-14T11:27:00.000+01:00

Some frightening terms and conditions on the Royal Mail website.

"Royal Mail, the Royal Mail Cruciform, the colour red and Smartstamp are all
registered trademarks of Royal Mail Group plc."

How do you copyright the colour red?

the spirit of tao

2006-08-02T08:07:00.000+01:00

LittleRedGypsie has already blogged her leaving doo here, and what a great night it was too.
Although the Tao could not make it in person, he did make an advertorial appearance (in the gents).

More pics from the night can be seen here.

New phone

2006-07-12T16:38:00.000+01:00

As a few of you may know, most of my blog pictures are taken with the most excellent sony ericsson w750i which i have loved to bits since owning. So, when the 3.2 megapixeltastic w800i was released, i HAD to have one. But, not only does it have an uprated camera, i have created and published this blog entry direct from the phone, and it was easy, even Cookie could have managed.

Gone but not forgotten

2006-07-09T01:37:00.000+01:00

Belatedly blogged, a couple of snaps from Tao's leaving do....

Our man Tao...he will be missed

Vic plays with Leon's goatee.

they don't poo everywhere

2006-06-28T10:37:00.000+01:00

adopt your own virtual pet!

and from the depths he emerged

2006-06-23T11:39:00.000+01:00

Bigfootcookie has had an unfortunate incident, speaking from experiance (smashing chin on pavement, not dipping into canal) I don't envy him one bit.

Get well soon mate.

Holmes Place

2006-06-09T16:58:00.000+01:00

Lunchtime celebrity spotting saw Olympic gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes at her book signing in Waterstones. Kelly won gold medals in the 800 metres and the 1,500 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Plain Crazy

2006-06-05T17:03:00.000+01:00

Not the first thing I expected on nearing the summit of Ben Nevis

What's on tap today?

2006-05-23T13:57:00.000+01:00

The Wellington
Specialist Real Ale Pub

The Wellington is a specialist real ale pub, situated in the heart of Birmingham's city centre. They have 12 guest beers constantly changing, as well as 3 popular Black Country ales always on tap. (Lager also available at the discretion of the landlord).
Click here to see what's on offer today.

Gone Fishing

2006-05-22T21:34:00.000+01:00

You should have seen the one that got away!

Follow the Frozen Dog

2006-03-02T14:29:00.000Z

An inch of snow proved less treacherous than imagined, but did liven up a few sections. Not to mention the puddles hidden with a skim of ice, eh Gaz!

Gallardo

2005-11-29T17:25:00.000Z

No editing done on this, everything else really is just dull compared to the Lamborghini.

Snow Patrol

2005-11-28T17:41:00.000Z

This was the scene outside our Birmingham office this afternoon, the first snow of the year. And with that brings chaos on the roads, gridlock in the city and tailbacks on the motorways. Not a problem for me as it brought much fun on the cycle home.

That's some damn tasty burger!

2005-11-25T21:07:00.000Z

Spicy Chicken & Turkey Burger...count the calories

Pigeon Street

2005-11-09T21:34:00.000Z

улица в Москве

Yet More Mud

2005-11-07T17:51:00.000Z

Some more pictures of yesterdays Robin Hood Bike Ride around Sherwood Pines for the British Heart Foundation to add to those already posted here (BigFootyCookie) and here (dazzyG).

Two people without front mudguards = Two very wet and muddy people

One person with two front mudguards = One clean but very wet person

One person with one front mudguard = One slightly muddy and very wet person

My night with Genghis Khan

2005-11-04T16:35:00.000Z

Celebrated my sisters birthday last night in Covent Garden which included sampling a couple of pubs and dining out at a Mongolian BBQ. I would heartily recommend it to anyone with a healthy appetite and some cullinary creativity, just go easy on the chilli sauce.

Start with an empty bowl.
Choose from a selection of Meat, Seafood or Tofu. Add some vegetables.

Sprinkle over some spices and a ladle or two of sauce.

Leave with Mongolian chef to cook before your eyes. Repeat as many times as is necessary.

My favourite creation of the night was pork, pineapple, peppers, beansprouts, tomato, a sprinkling of coconut and lashings of jalfrezi sauce.

They are among us.

2005-11-02T11:00:00.000Z

As the blurb says...The ancestors of reptoids retreated into underground caverns during environmental cataclysms long ago, and their descendant, now sentient, reptoid cultures are currently living in deep, remote cavern-cities (villages) undetected by mainstream humanity.

It must be true because David Icke said so...In 1999, he published a book claiming that the world had been taken over by a race of reptiles called the Babylonian Brotherhood, and that some prominent people were in fact reptilian humanoids, including George Bush, the Queen Mother and Kris Kristofferson.

According to Icke, the reptiles' "hybrid reptilian-human DNA" allows them to change from reptilian to human form if they consume human blood.

Should I be worried?
What precautions should I start taking?
What does one do when confronted by a reptilian-human thirsty for blood?

Optical Illusion Time

2005-10-31T20:10:00.000Z

If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, you will only see one color, pink.
If you stare at the black + in the center, the moving dot turns to green.
Now, concentrate on the black + in the center of the picture. After a short period of time,
all the pink dots will slowly disappear, and you will only see a green dot rotating if you're lucky!
It's amazing how our brain works. There really is no green dot, and the pink ones really don't disappear.
This should be proof enough, we don't always see what we think we see.

Collymore?

2005-10-27T16:02:00.000+01:00

Agent Gorgeous, BigFootCookie and myself all managed to wangle holiday on the same day, so an early start and up to Cannock Chase for a spot of dogging was in order. (To avoid any misunderstanding that means mountain biking on the trail known as Follow The Dog)

Thankfully they'd finished working on the start of the trail and the first technical section was back in action, including a rather large and deceptive puddle.

Speaking of puddles, The Puddle of Doom "North Shore" section is still under construction but looks like it's shaping up to be a superb addition to the trail...can't wait.

To our dismay the downhill mudfest section has been reworked to make it easier, although post-ride it was probably for the better.

I managed a rather impressive crash on the last section, front wheel wiping out and a pirouette over the handlebars. No damage done though, unlike Agent Gorgeous who pulled off a gnarly* turndown** over a jump and sustained a horendous injury to his thumb.

We finished the trail half an hour before the cafe opened, so a short trip up the road and we did the last few sections again.

*Gnarly - adjective; used to describe anything really far out and amazing, an extraordinary stunt, or event.
**Turndown - noun; where a rider turns the handlebars down towards the ground while the rest of the bike stays facing straight up.

Old & New

2005-10-17T17:09:00.000+01:00

Church and Offices, Brussels

Cityscape

2005-10-13T17:53:00.000+01:00

Moscow skyline, taken from Sparrow Hills.

Not Onions

2005-10-11T16:33:00.000+01:00

Residential Tower Block, Moscow.

Third time Lucky?

2005-10-08T19:59:00.000+01:00

Third time on the chase and this time we brought The Cookster & The Stang. No crashes too write about this time so I'll let the virgins do the blogging.

But first why not enter the Spot The Stang Competition:

If you go down to the woods today...

All day Agent Gorgeous was just a blur.

You put your left foot down, up down, up down, then shake off all the mud.

Find out what Agent Gorgeous thought of the uphill sections

And what did The Stang think of his first real off-roading session?

Roots Manoeuvre

2005-10-03T19:33:00.000+01:00

Aston Hill is the self-titled home of the South's premiere Mountain Bike Area located near Wendover in Buckinghamshire. Set in over 100 acres of forestry commission land it boasts 4 Downhill (DH) courses, a 4X course, and a 5mile Cross Country (XC) trail. Although entry is £5 a day, facilities are limited to a secure car park, phone-box style portaloo and a mobile burger van. Not quite up to the standard set by Chase Trails (which is free!)

Being a Hardtail owner, I’d come for the XC trail, the harder DH courses best left to the crazy Downhillers and their specialist equipment.
The first section gave me an impression of the type of terrain I would be seeing a lot more of around the trail, roots, roots and more roots and as it had been raining on and off all day these were incredibly slippery. This section was a mixture of up and downhill singletrack, winding its way through the forest with some tricky technical sections.
The second section of the trail actually makes up one of the DH courses, known as The Red Run. Of the 4 DH courses, this was meant to be the easiest, with The Black Run, DH3 and Ultimate Pursuits DH becoming progressively more difficult. No pedalling needed on this section but my brakes certainly got a work out, in true downhill style there were fast berms aplenty, man-made jumps and, again, many slippery roots. I have to say some of the sections were a tad scary, but I managed to stay on all the way down. This was by far the most fun section on the trail.
The next couple of sections were a bit of an anti-climax, the third being what amounted to a path running alongside a golf course albeit with some fine views over the country side. The fourth section was a killer and no fun whatsoever imho! Known as The Climb, it’s an uphill section about a mile long zig-zagging up the side of the hill; by the time I’d got to the top I was knackered. The fifth and final section echoed that of the first and was a fun singletrack through the forest with the odd log that required bunny-hopping, and again roots aplenty.

I still had a few hours left before my taxi was due to arrive (my sister was playing hockey in nearby Tring) but didn’t want to do The Climb again, luckily the layout of the trail is such that it’s possible to choose sections and just do those and there’s also an area known as The Bomb Holes which is a play area.
So, there I was starting out on The Red Run for the third time when I get to the point in the trail where it splits and The Black Run starts. I had one of those spur-of-the-moment, you-only-live-once thoughts and decided to give it a go. Big mistake, I was later to find out that it was actually the Ultimate Pursuits DH and not The Black Run at all. To quote from their website "The newest downhill on Aston Hill, The Ultimate Pursuits Downhill takes technical downhill riding to a new level and it's certainly not for beginners. Steep just about describes some of the sections of this track and it's a thrill a minute once you hit the steep sections and fly down over the hill to the finish." Not for beginners? Try - Only for Lunatics. Steep? Try - vertical. Fly down? Yes, that bit’s true. The course was similar to that of The Red Run in style only more severe with huge drop-offs, big jumps and frightening switchbacks. It was very early on into the course when I realised that crashing was going to be inevitable no matter how slow I went, it was just a matter of how many times and whether I could avoid any serious injury. It was the third crash that hurt the most, when I fell about 6 foot falling arse over tit and ending up sliding further down the hill. Climbing back up to retrieve my steed I found that I’d broken my front brake (in exactly the same way as the previous week on Follow The Dog) which meant riding any further down the trail would be impossible. At this point it wouldn’t be exaggerating too much to say I was terrified, but persevered down trying not to worry about ditching my bike, which I had to do several times. Eventually I made it to the bottom a very relieved man, with only a bloody shin and a bruised body by way of injury.

Would I go back to Aston Hill? Only with a full-suspension bike, full-face helmet, and copious amounts of body armour.

The fun is in the Chase

2005-09-23T16:34:00.000+01:00

Chase Trails are a collection of purpose built mountain bike trails built on land on Cannock Chase owned by the forestry commission. There are trails for family and leisure, technical singletrack for the more advanced rider and a downhill course for the full-suspension, armour-wearing nutters.

Follow The Dog - Day 1

We (Agent Gorgeous and I) chose to ride the technical singletrack, a seven mile route known as “Follow The Dog”. Having never ridden on a purpose-built trail before we didn’t really know what to expect. However we soon realised that the investment in our mountain bikes was a wise one and both of us had the biggest smiles after completing the first section, a twisty singletrack through forest with a bumpy surface and the odd jump thrown in, which neither of us had the guts to actually jump, those trees are really close!

The trail is split into sections, with each section depositing you out of the trees and onto the fire roads that criss-cross throughout the chase. This provides a good opportunity to grab a breather and regale the highlights of the previous section.
A short ride along these fire roads and you’re at the start of a new section, each with its own distinctive feel, flat singletrack through dense trees, downhill singletrack with berms to ride, sticky mud singletrack, short sharp fast descents and lung busting climbs.

Halfway around the trail brought the first crash of the day. A fast, twisty downhill section, which we both later agreed was the best section of the trail. I guess I was becoming a little over confident and halfway through got up a little too much speed, too much to take one of the bends, I thought I’d managed to hold it but as the bend tightened I completely lost balance and had no where to go but off into the side, unable to unclip my spd’s, rolled over and skidded along ‘till I came to a halt. Still, I hadn’t injured myself and was quite happy about it until I realised I’d broken the (hydraulic)cable on my front (disc)brake, which meant riding the rest of the trail with only my rear brake functioning.

I persevered on as I was determined it wouldn’t spoil my enjoyment, cue second crash of the day. This was a couple of sections later, this time I was trying to take it steadier through twisty singletrack in dense forest. Unfortunately, in one downhill section my lack of front brake meant slowing down was impossible, my rear wheel completely locked up but no sign of slowing and a tree fast approaching. I decided to try ditching my bike and bailing out to the side, with some success, my bike was fine, and I got away with scratches, scrapes and bruises to my legs – battle scars! Suffice to say, I took the rest of the trail a tad slower!

Follow The Dog - Day 2

After the previous day’s mishaps, the opportunity to get back out there arose and as my front brake was fixed I gladly took it. The weather couldn’t have been more different, whereas the previous day was warm and sunny, this time it was persisting it down, but getting muddy is what mountain biking is all about.
Thankfully no crashes to write about and we sampled a section of the trail that we’d missed last time due to poor directions. I was able to ride the second half of the trail properly; having good brakes means you can ride faster!

We were both really impressed with the trails and will certainly return, and for anyone else thinking of going along you must stop by the café, they make a great bacon and sausage sandwich.

bear behind

2005-09-18T20:49:00.000+01:00

Let's Offroad!

2005-09-18T14:26:00.000+01:00

Sunday morning mountain biking around Sutton Park featuring TheStang, BigFootCookie, FatBoyFat and MrNoxious.

We started off with a gentle warm up along the park road before hitting the first trail of the day, pausing briefly to down saddles and retrieve a dropped water bottle. A singletrack climb through some unforgiving gorse bushes, not too challenging but a fine way to attune to the terrain. Meandering around cows, cow shit, dog owners and their suicide-minded dogs intent on sniffing out TheStang, alongside a golf course and finally along a sweeping meadow. Cue first incident of the day, a deceptively shallow ditch decided to claim BigFootCookie's front wheel for it's own leaving the cookster nowhere to go but arse over tit. Luckily his lid took the main force of the impact scooping out a divot of turf. A big smile from the cookster allayed any fear of further injury, just a lesson to us all, and we were on our way.

The rest of the morning saw us traverse a number of different trails, each with their own distinctive aspect of fun, tight forest tracks over raised roots, winding singletrack through the forest, open parkland rising and falling along rough tracks and loose stone downhill runs. All in all a good mixture of fast adrenaline pumping riding interspliced with gentler freewheeling in some beautiful surroundings, all not 10 mins from the centre of Birmingham.

We will return.

More Onions

2005-09-17T17:26:00.000+01:00

Assumption Cathedral, Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, Sergiyev Posad.

North Shore comes to Birmingham

2005-09-10T19:55:00.000+01:00

For those of you that aren't Mountain Bike Fanatics, North Shore is a name given to a type of man-made mountain bike trail, often precarious skinny wooden structures usually with a stunt encouraging drop-off at the end. They were first built in The North Shore, North and West Vancouver, Canada, hence the name, and similar style trails have started popping up throughout world.

Well, having fitted a new crank to my steed, and thanks to bigfootcookie who recently gave me some flat pedals to try, it was seat down and ready for me to test out my new bike setup. I've been riding home from work through Moseley Bog, a small parkland area often used by people walking their dogs. I'd never been to the actual bog as it looked, well, it just looked too overgrown to be ridden through, but I had noticed a couple of what looked like passable trails that might, just might be OK to ride along and had been meaning to explore them at some point, so that's where I went.

And I'm glad I did, some parts around the bog were just normal dirt trails, but in other areas, as the ground is quite boggy (strange that) they've built wooden pathways, some winding through the woodland, some over streams, another descending down a slope in a series of steps. Not quite North Shore but a helluvalotta fun to ride along. Alas my fun was cut short when, probably down to the chicken wire covering the paths, I got a puncture. But, you can bet I'll be back down there soon.

NB: Mountain bike riding is a dangerous sport and can cause injury or even death. Always use the appropriate safety equipment, and try not to fall off.

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

2005-09-05T17:24:00.000+01:00

Here's Agent FatBoy with his new steed, a Kona Caldera.[view image]

Agent FatBoy can be seen here sporting a Met 5th Element lid, Specialized SPD Shoes, Altura Baggies and Endura Techvest, available from all good cycle shops.

I see dead people

2005-09-04T17:34:00.000+01:00

Sculpture depicting the lives lost under the rule of Stalin.
Tretyakov Gallery and Sculpture Park, Moscow.

Onions

2005-09-02T17:28:00.000+01:00

St Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow.

The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. (He did in fact go on to build another cathedral in Vladimir despite his ocular impediment!)

Take your best shot...

2005-08-29T10:14:00.000+01:00

This shot was taken in my aunties back garden with my Sony Ericsson K750i.

I got so fed up a few weeks back with throwing my Motorola MPx200 against the wall in frustration that a new phone had to be chosen, and I'm glad I chose the Sony. Not only is it great for taking impromptu photos (with a flash if necessary), it can also shoot videos, has a radio, MP3 player, a torch, PIM functionality (which I use constantly as I have no brain), the obligitary JAVA games, BUT, most amazingly, by pressing the buttons in certain combinations you can call up other people who have similar devices and speak to them as if they were really there.

NB: previous blog photos taken with the Sony include "Slow Down"

Absolute Freedom of Movement

2005-08-26T12:23:00.000+01:00

The subject of Free Running or Parkour came up during a chinwag with Taoski, prompting a surf to the following site that pretty much covers the fundamentals if you were wanting to learn said discipline. Looks like fun.

Slow Down

2005-08-23T17:01:00.000+01:00

This is at the corner of my road, cars approach from the right around a blind bend and it's always a case of fingers crossed when pulling out. Any cars that are above the 30mph speed limit have to slam on their brakes. Any cars that are well over 30mph end up like this:

Sure is a mighty chew

2005-08-19T12:50:00.000+01:00

Due to massive demand (Taoski said he liked them in response to my Whatever happened to Space Dust blog) for the relaunch of the Texan bar, Nestle have relented. Confirmed sighting at Texaco garage, Essex Road, London.

Got Moloko?

2005-08-16T17:54:00.000+01:00

Some more animals up next, of a bovine nature. The first "cow" was chained up next to a path I had to walk down, and it was mooing at me, it was very big and very scary.

The second "herd" were grazing just outside The Kremlin, thankfully these were of a more gentile nature.

Fall Out

2005-08-15T19:52:00.000+01:00

I'm back from my brief jaunt in Russia, so I'll be blogging some of the photos I took whilst I was out there. First up is this rather strange fly that I happened across whilst at Gorki Leninskie. It must have been affected by Chernobyl as it has TWO sets of wings!

Anyone know what species it is?

entries on a postcard

2005-08-04T10:17:00.000+01:00

Feel free to join in with more contributions, there'll be prizes for the best awarded by the great WBB himself.

White Boy Blog

2005-08-02T17:17:00.000+01:00

Here's my effort at making a header logo for WhiteBoyBob's blog.

I'm quite happy with the results, exactly as I planned!

To Let

2005-08-02T16:46:00.000+01:00

Delightful new property in leafy suburb of Birmingham, recently installed roof garden.

When Tornados Attack

2005-07-28T18:28:00.000+01:00

I knew the weather was pretty bad, as earlier in the afternoon we'd popped outside our office to witness some torrential rain, little did I know what was happening in the area where I lived. Knowing that the slightest adverse weather tends to cause chaos on our roads I was a little apprehensive about driving home (on the only bloody day I used my car, as I needed to pick something heavy up from work)
After getting halfway home, traffic came to a standstill so I abandoned my car and walked the rest of the way on foot. Impromptu Police cordons blocked multiple roads and, because of recent events, I start to think that it was a Terrorist related incident. As I got nearer to Moseley (and home) damage to houses, cars, trees, slowly got worse and I've never seen so many police cars, ambulances, fire engines, and tree surgeons!
I got back home and thankfully the estate I live on suffered only a few fallen branches.

So, roving reporter MrNoxious grabs his trusty steed and heads back out to catalogue the devastation:

These first five pictures are just a couple of roads away away from where I live.

I believe that's the bathroom you can see there

Every single house on this road had damage of one form or another, the road was littered with roof tiles, branches, glass, and erm assorted debris.

This was the first fallen tree I saw on my walk home, strangely the houses in the rest of the road were untouched, but you can see where the Tornado had ripped through.

A typical scene on every road I went down, firemen cutting
away the fallen trees.

Whatever happened to Space Dust.....

2005-07-28T08:56:00.000+01:00

.....cola cubes, double dips (with swizzlestick), mojo's, sherbet pips, flying saucers, rainbow drops.....

You can find them all at A Quarter Of, and it's not just a memorabilia fan site either, it's a shop, and one where my credit card is about to get hammered reminiscing.

Their current "sweet of the week" is the Wham bar. I remember dabbling in amateur dentistry as a kid; wham bars were great for pulling out wobbly teeth.

What were your favourite sweets?

Chain Reaction

2005-07-27T14:29:00.000+01:00

One side effect of the London bombings is the increased level of commuters on bikes.
It's a shame it takes something like this to get people out there and on a bike, but the more of us there are the better.

Nehmen Sie eine Wahrscheinlichkeit

2005-07-25T22:07:00.000+01:00

Saw this and thought of Captain Beefy

Norf Shaw

2005-07-24T16:35:00.000+01:00

Just another blatant attempt to show off my new template with a big picture, dread to see how slow this'll load at work.

i think i'm "having a wank", i really think so

2005-07-23T19:45:00.000+01:00

The subject of "Turning Japanese" came up during a lunch-time chat I was having with my parents, or what "turning japanese" was a euphemism for. Alas, google wasn't to hand and I didn't have a clue.
So, mum:

The Vapors were a New Wave band from England that existed between 1979 and 1981. They had a hit with the song "Turning Japanese".
"Turning Japanese" was often rumored to be a euphemism for masturbation, and the subject of the song. Though frontman Dave Fenton viewed it as a love song when writing it, he would alternately confirm and deny the rumors in interviews...

SOURCE:WIKI

Purple Lightning

2005-07-23T00:33:00.000+01:00

Lapworth Loop

2005-07-17T19:14:00.000+01:00

Saturday. A last minute change of plans and gorgeous weather gave me an opportunity to take my loved one on the Lapworth loop (Down the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal to Lapworth and then back up the Grand Union Canal). I joined the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal in Highters Heath, starting out with some "proper mountain bikin" over some rough dry terrain followed by some rather gloopy stuff that had me off at one point. Past 3 drawbridges and 9 miles later I reach the Lapworth locks, freewheeling down all 19 of them, bliss.

"durty gurl"

I quick bite to eat at Kingswood Junction in Lapworth, and it's onto the Grand Union Canal. Plenty of overgrown nettles and thorns mean plenty of shin slap and slow going most of the way. Through Knowle, this time going up a flight of locks, boo, and on to Solihull. Overall a rather enjoyable 25 mile ride in the country.

"Kingswood Junction"

We all scream for ICE

2005-07-13T18:48:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Jules for spreading the word on this:

East Anglian Ambulance Service have launched a national "In case of
Emergency ( ICE ) " campaign with the support of Falklands war hero Simon
Weston.

The idea is that you store the word " I C E " in your mobile phone address
book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be
contacted "In Case of Emergency".

In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to
quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them.

Bush bruised in bicycle crash

2005-07-07T13:19:00.000+01:00

Not just the most important man in the world crashing his bike then, Mr Bush is at it too.

"The US president suffered scrapes on his hands and arms and was treated by a White House doctor. Mr Bush, celebrating his 59th birthday, was said to be going at a "pretty good speed" when he fell from his bike. It was lightly raining at the time of the accident and Mr Bush slid onto the road, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "

BattleScar Galactifisher: Part 2

2005-07-05T18:18:00.000+01:00

My chin is now well on it's way to being mended and my arm/wrist is almost ready for some handlebar action. Alas, the damage to my loved one is irrepairable:

As the damage is so extensive she may be in need of some X-Lite Camlock QR Skewers

The trouble with bike helmets.....

2005-06-24T17:44:00.000+01:00

.....is that if you land face first they don't help.

Doesn't look that bad now, if only BigFootCookie had taken a picture of my "red scarf" it might have warranted a submission to BikeMagic.

The scenario: The first rainy day for weeks, a thunderstorm at that and heavy rain to boot, adding up to a slick slippery surface on the corner of Lionel & Newhall. I'm riding along at a fair pace (never got to find out but I'm sure it was going to be a record time), approaching the final corner before I get to work. The lights turn to red, but hey I'm on my bike and it's an easy left turn, so I make sure all is clear and go for the turn.
The accident: I feel the bike slide from under me, my SPD pedals somehow detach, and I go face first into the tarmac, breaking part of my fall with my left arm, breaking the rest with my chin.
The damage: Me - 2 holes in my chin, one mended with stitches the other mended with glue. (see above). A sprained wrist/arm that feels more broken to me. Several minor cuts and bruises. My Bike - No major damage, just a cool battle scar on the rear quick release. My clothes - completely undamaged, even the blood has washed out!
Big Thanks to: The couple of samaritans who picked me up from the middle of the road and made sure I was OK. BigFootCookie and TheStang for patching me up and putting me in the correct recovery position. RedGypsy for calling the paramedics - my first ride in an ambulance, woohoo. And MrMaloney, waiting for hours in the hospital supplying me with tea and coffee and giving me a lift home. Oh, and Gayle, thanks for the Chocolate Hobnob Biscuit Bar :)

still Hot

2005-06-21T19:51:00.000+01:00

"Yikes - it's hot outside, everyone is sweaty, and your legs are stuck to the seat of the car. What do you do? Swim, of course! Race your friends or show off your underwater skill by doing a handstand. But don't forget the safety rules. Make sure there's an adult around to watch you and no dunking!

On land, you can have a water balloon toss with friends. Catch that balloon, or you'll get soaked!

When you're exercising in the heat, it is very important to remember to drink lots of water, even if you don't feel thirsty. Hot temperatures make you sweat more when you're exercising, so you must replace the water you lose to prevent heat exhaustion.

More things to do when it's hot:

* Take a nature walk on a shady trail.
* Wash your dog outside.
* Wash your parents' or neighbors' car.
* Turn on the sprinkler and cool off!"

excerpt from The Internet

It's Hot, Hot, Hot!

2005-06-19T20:34:00.000+01:00

shoulders back, chest out.

2005-06-19T16:50:00.000+01:00

Saturday - Couldn't wait to give my new bike it's first proper test run, after figuring out the SPD pedals (not half as scary as I'd imagined, clipping out before bailing is pretty easy). It being my first ride I was pushing it (and consequentially me) to the limit. What can I say, "wow" would be a good start. "Bloody hell it's fast" would be more descriptive. Took it along a mixture of road and off-road, keeping up with traffic along some stretches! But, after about 5 miles, I realised it was far too hot to be cycling, and I subsequently collapsed on a grass verge. (thankfully recovery was swift as I had my new Camelback).
So, what to do but get out my camera and take some "glamour" shots.

strange...but I can't wait to commute to work on Monday morning!!!

Tie me down sport

2005-06-14T18:49:00.000+01:00

As my ride to work is only a little over 4 miles, I've been taking a completely different route home so as to get a proper work-out. With the intention of avoiding as many roads as possible I've been heading out on the Worcester & Birmingham canal. I then exit at, and make my way through, the University of Birmingham campus. From here it's past the kangaroos and on to Cannon Hill Park where it's time for some proper mountain biking along a great (but short) trail through the forest. Then it's on to Highbury Park, which I have yet to explore properly but I'm sure I've seen a trail here too, then a couple of quiet roads before I get home.

...yes, I did say past the kangaroos! It's amazing how much more you see when you get out of your car and on your bike. These 'roos in particular live at Birmingham Nature Centre.

Hmmm, now that I think about it, aren't kangaroos much bigger than this? Maybe these are special dwarf kangaroos, bred so that they can't leap over the fences? Or are they Wallabies?

I've had my fill of petrol fumes

2005-06-12T14:58:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd treat my bike to one last adventure before it becomes my spare bike, only to be used in emergencies. I've been plotting a ride to Stourport via the Midlands' fine network of canals, to pre-empt this I decided to explore the canals on route to Dudley, they be quite complex in this area (as canals go). It looked like rain but I didn't take my jacket because I haven't got one yet, luckily the heavens never opened.

10 minutes ride along the Birmingham Canal Main Line out from Gas Street Basin, I spotted two old people with a camera, I wondered why they were taking a picture of a wall until I'd rode past them and this big bird thing flew off.

I didn't quite make it as far as Dudley (although when I got home and had a look at the map I was only a couple of miles short). I managed to get as far as Tipton, a rather dodgy stretch of canal that passes underneath the M5, delicious chemical scents wafting from the nearby factories.

There was no point in continuing any further as the batteries in my camera ran out, (as I was trying to take a picture of some rather aggressive Canadian Geese) if you can't take a picture there's no proof that you were there!!

A rather pleasant 20 mile trip, however a bit more training will be required before I tackle the 30 miles to Stourport.

Suit you Sur?

2005-06-10T12:57:00.000+01:00

Thanks to bigfootcookie for converting my faith from petrol to pedal power. Having ridden to work for the last 3 weeks, I can safely say I've got the bug. So much so that I'm splashing out on a "proper" bike, a Gary Fisher Big Sur.

Hmm, How does Gary Fisher come up with his bike names anyway? Ahh, Most of them come from places Gary has ridden around the world. Others are from Native American culture.

Sooo, Big Sur relates to the former, it's a particularly pleasant place to ride in California, as blogged about here.

Coldplay - X &Y

2005-06-03T22:11:00.000+01:00

Bland, slightly depressing awfulness, each track merging with the next.

Jose Mourinho to star in Big Brother

2005-06-02T12:49:00.000+01:00

Well, OK, not quite but he will be picking the winner of a new reality TV show called 'Football Icon'

The winner gets a professional contract with Chelsea and joins their academy.

Champeeeeeuuuunss Champeeeuuuuuunss

2005-05-25T23:30:00.000+01:00

Liverpool 3 - 3 AC Milan (Liverpool win 3-2 on penalties)

3 - nil down and out at half time, :( .. but
Stevie G, 8th wonder of the world, inspires the greatest comeback of European, nay, world football history.

I is happy

Oh No, her boobs have shrunk

2005-05-24T13:05:00.000+01:00

"The look of Lara Croft has also changed. She looks far more like her original incarnation, rather than the busty heroine she morphed into for some of the later games. "

Mister Underhills blog takes a sinister turn

2005-05-23T19:16:00.000+01:00

2005-05-19T20:22:00.000+01:00

. .

choices choices choices

2005-05-17T11:16:00.000+01:00

Will I get my Playstation 3 in Black, Silver or White?

"In a dig at Microsoft, Sony said the processor was twice as fast as the one in the Xbox 360."

Use The Force

2005-05-10T19:54:00.000+01:00

Staying on the Star Wars theme, I found this great piece of memorabilia on good ole eBay.
The probe droid that Luke used for Light Saber training.

I decided to ask a "tongue in cheek" question as to whether it hovered! (Unfortunately it doesn't)

Use The Force

2005-05-10T14:14:00.000+01:00

Following a lunch-time chat and subsequent surf about all things Star Wars I stumbled upon this most excellent website. Someone has transformed the entire Episode 4 film into animated ASCII. Why, you ask? Why Not, I retort?

You think you’ve got problems

2005-05-05T19:11:00.000+01:00

Due to the release of HHGTTG, I thought I'd better watch it and give you my review:

Now, I am unable to compare the film with the book as I read it when I was about 12 and my memory is much like that of a Pangarion Snookleflumper that has been snookled by an ostrich. In fact I may not have been 12 at all due to said snookled memory. In any case, to compare a film with a book is slightly ridiculous as a book has words printed on paper, whereas a film has flashy moving pictures and a synchronised soundtrack, no comparison. Maybe to compare it with the radio show would be fairer, but I'm not going to.
It seems the film has been getting more than a few bad reviews, apart from a rather glowing review from Douglas Adams' brother, which in part may be due to his future wellbeing relying on its success. With this in mind I have decided to give the film a good review. It’s good; it’s really good, honest guvnor. I will not be going into any further detail as to why, as this may spoil your enjoyment of the film if you decide to watch it. There is of course the added prejudice of me liking (supposedly) bad films such as Mrs Doubtfire, Catwoman and Universal Soldier. If you would like a more comprehensive review (I believe the apt term for this is known as a ‘spoiler’) then I would suggest you go and see it, then remember the thoughts you have during the film and write them all down. Or, jump up and down 364 times while juggling 2 tomatoes and an Egyptian vase valued over 37p.

N.B. (spoiler alert): I do have to forewarn you that there is one really bad (non-Douglas Adams) joke within the film that you have to be prepared to cringe at. Other audience members may laugh at this point but they will probably be {CENSORED}.

How to scare the kids - Part 2

2005-05-05T16:44:00.000+01:00

Bunch of Arse

2005-05-04T16:31:00.000+01:00

A news item with both Dr Who AND an iPod, Taoski will be wetting his Pants.

Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away

2005-05-04T15:03:00.000+01:00

Loved the alternative version of the "Homeland Security Advisory System Terror Alert" as blogged by Captain Beefheart, that I just had to change my template.
Matches my Sesame Street socks perfectly.

NB: Picture does not represent actual socks worn

bleurgh

2005-05-04T14:00:00.000+01:00

I've been away from blogland for a while, partly due to attending a family funeral, and subsequently being struck down by the Plague (Where does mucus come from anyway?). But to all my regulars, yes you in the shorts, I'm back with my random ramblings (ramblings being the in-operative word).
Buckets of Phlegm

...

2005-04-22T19:25:00.000+01:00

Sod the psycho-analytical crap,

I wanna know what classic movie I am...

What Classic Movie Are You?

Kitten suckles on Dog.

2005-04-21T15:42:00.000+01:00

Ahuang the dog looking after Mimi the kitten.

Unfortunately for Mimi, being a resident of China, is destined for a main course in a few years time.

source Ananova

wish you were here?

2005-04-21T14:57:00.000+01:00

Stuck deciding where to go on holiday this year? Check out this handy guide of top destinations...personally I'm tempted with a visit to North Korea.

HHGTTG

2005-04-21T08:54:00.000+01:00

Well it seems someone likes it...

Douglas Adams' Family Reviews the Movie

link via (the most excellent) H2G2

Gordon Bennett

2005-04-16T23:18:00.000+01:00

A snippet from the latest Steam news...

"We also promised a sneak peek into work on Half-Life 2: Aftermath. Here is a shot from that, the continuation of Gordon Freeman’s adventures that we'll be releasing as an episode later this summer."

The Woodsman

2005-04-15T12:50:00.000+01:00

Watched The Woodsman last night, which is about a pedophile who returns to his hometown after 12 years in prison to start a new life. It's difficult to accept a main character that's a child molester, which is why this film was never destined as a box-office smash. But the subject matter is handled in a tasteful intelligent way with excellent cinematography and solid performances all round especially from emmy award winning Mos Def, who yet again proves his acting prowess - I hear he's also in the new HHGTTG film.