MJ NOT GUILTY

On all 10 counts... yehaa!

Monday (one day)

So the weekend started on Friday with the gym and a nice run on a sunny, balmy afternoon. Lovely.
Then home and straight back out to look at Laura's rear brakes (my old 8v - see the relavant page on the right!). That done, I took it round the block only to find more noises. I think a CV joint maybe on it's way out. Hmm. Anyway - pizza and a beer and back home made a nice end to the week in a "if-I-do-say-so-myself" kinda way :P

Saturday was a long one! Up early-ish and straight out to replace the Calibra's rocket gasket. These things aren't cheap (for a piece of rubber) and she's on number three already. Harsh. Anyway - that probably won't solve my oil woes - next job is the oil pressure spring adjustment which involves removing the engine mount and bumper and a reasonable amount of swearing. Joy.
Dad came down so that wiped out a couple of hours (more pizza.. but only a slice instead of the whole thing for me!) and then out to sort the 911.
She'd not seen water (other than rain) since my purchase so I did the works. Hovered, cleaned, polished, baby-oiled the seats (hmmm.. soft!) and autosol on the wheels (they have seen better days). I couldn't take any decent pics but I will soon - yum. I need professional help with the fuel gauge as I have no idea. Pah.

The quote came through for the damage done by Focus-lady. £440+VAT - and it's all labour. Oh well - I couldn't get through to her so I'll keep trying. It's not all bad really but the exhaust is wonky!

Saturday night brought level 52 in WoW - oh yes. Power levelling!
So yesterday I did very little (oh.. I did three weeks ironing Saturday too! Blimey) and just played WoW and messed around on the Mac with some video. Made 53 at 2am this morning (cripes). But when you're on a roll...

Roads... where we're going, we don't need.... roads.

And such is the truth of the matter. Despite the government making claims that within 10 years we'll see testing of the new "pay per mile" scheme - I honestly don't believe it's going to happen.
True, something is on the horizon - what it is, I don't know. But the plan is to screw the country over (stop people commuting - and thus give rise to unemployment) and keep our roads empty. Fine. It'll work. But then they'll need to develop a way of getting people about. By public transport? Don't make me laugh - it's a joke, and not a very funny one either.
Personally I'd like to cycle - but I have two jobs and cannot get gym equipment from Havant to Portsmouth, within an hour, by bicycle. So what am I supposed to do? Walk it? Throw it? Develop a matter transporter? No.. I know, I'll get a licence to fly helicopers. Yeah - that'll do it.
Stupid.
So, I'll emigrate - go to another country where I can enjoy being a motorist. But why should I? It's not like the car was free - and it's not like I don't already pay more than 50% of my year wage in keeping it running, legal and on the road. But I'll be changing my name to "Mama Hoseblagger" before I pay £1.34 a mile - that's for bloody sure.
So - who's up for a BTTF style hover conversion?

Pussycat dolls

The ever lovely Jo Whiley has been touting the 'dolls for a while now and I'm loving the track. Get on over to their website to listen to it and see them as well (yes, they are hot.. just like they say they are). LOL.

Ah ha!

The weather is finally turning around! Looks like this weekend may even resemble "summer" (don't worry.. it can exist here in the UK!). So that, at least, gives me a list of jobs to do...
1. Replace rocker cover gasket on the Calibra
2. Check and replace camshaft oil seals
3. Check error codes and find out why my boost levels are so low/cutting back.
4. Take some 911 gauges out of their homes and find out why my fuel gauge is dead (the sender appears to be fine).
5. Wash alllll three cars and detail the 911 (badly needs it) - including getting the polished lip on the alloys to be.. erm... polished.
6. Look at Laura's Calibra's rear brakes... if I get time that is! I may try and do this first, on Friday - but we'll see.

Mainly the Calibra needs sorting as I don't have a lot of time before Billing.

Apple in bed with Intel

So says The Register. So by 2007 all Macs will be intel based.. although that says very little and the OS makes the machine, not the chipset (although it can slow it down!).
I'm looking forward to some very fast future Macs and the next Mac OSX (Leopard) is already in the works. Cool.

More on the Apple/Intel issue...

Here is a Register article that makes more sense of the Apple news story (that hasn't yet happened). Interested to see what comes of it... at least it'll be all over and decided before I upgrade!

Exeter "dull"

I like Exeter and it's town centre. It's different to Portsmouth and feels more friendly - but apparantly that comes at a cost. Read about it here courtesy of the BBC.

A busy weekend.. with more to come

Firstly - before I forget - This news story disburbs me. Nothing is official yet, and it could mean a new generation of cheap and fast Macs... but why x86? I really hope that if Intel are going to be making processors for Apple that they are a new kind entirely and not something compatible with our PCs.

Anyway - this weekend (for me) marked the beginning of the show season for my Calibra. I have yet to upload my pics but I'll get round to it!
I managed a quick look round the show and saw some interesting cars and mods - but I spent most of the day answering questions about my car and engine :p
Pop over to This thread on ClubCalibra for a couple of pics.. and MIG too.

Unfortunately I have my engine light on so I need to sort that out - get a new rocker cover - and I have a few other jobs I'd like to do before the next show. A pain as I don't have much time! Plus the 911 needs a working fuel gauge... damn.

Gemma should be relaxing after her 2nd exam by now.. nearly half way through!

K-nackered!

Yesterday I went and picked up my new 993!
The day started at just before 5am. Up I got (evenutally) and showered and downed a coffee (5am is too early!). Russ kindly picked me up at 6am and dropped me off on a very dull and grey morning to Southampton airport.
Luckily my flight was on time and the journey short - I arrived in Manchester at around 8am and was picked up very quickly by Peter's wife.
She took me to the car and I had a look around - and was impressed!
I thought it was solid black - however, she's a diamond black - a very slight flip in the paintwork. So that makes her quite different to my previous car! (and probably harder to clean.. lol). But she's a looker alright.
The deal was done and I set off on my way home in driving rain (typical). All went well except for a couple of niggles (fuel gauge is playing up).
I stopped on the M40 for a coffee and a quick bite to eat. Big mistake. I think. Anyway; on leaving a woman reversed in to me while I sat still! So within 2 hours of buying it it's already having an insurance claim.. oh well! It's not bad.. just annoying.
I managed to get home after about 5 hours in a very dirty Porsche - hehe - and I'm happy with her. I have some things to sort out and she needs cleaning but for now.. it's all good. I'll get some pics up later - but I have more pressing matters like PV this weekend to arrange and get ready for! So the Calibra needs a wash first... it never ends! lol

What a day!

Firstly, I didn't even get to the office before I was accosted by dead PCs. A rather nasty virus outbreak here has caused chaos. In actual fact, only 2 people even had a virus (so far) but many others thought they did and their accounts were suspended. Whoop. So it's been a mad house today and I haven't even logged on to MSN or Yahoo! (always the first thing I do). But I'm knackered now so I thought I'd blog.

My new insurance company are being a pain. Since I'm with a broker my contact isn't to blame but it's still annoying. Basically I needed my cover note today so that I could tax the 911 tomorrow in Manchester. Has it arrived? No... so they are sending it my special delivery TO Manchester for arrival tomorrow. It had better be there or I'm taking my business elsewhere.

Early night tonight (doubtful as I won't sleep anyway) as I have to be up at 5am! Rah.

Oh and Gemma has her first exam tomorrow! EEEK! Best of luck to her! :D

Monday!

Was.. yesterday! Ha.. it was nice to have the day off. Makes the week a little shorter.

So what have I been up to? (and who cares?).
I've seen Star Wars: Episode 3 twice this last weekend. Once with a friend and once with my brother (and Laura). I enjoyed it more the second time as I was able to take in more of the "surrounding action" - that which you miss the first time while trying to keep up.
It's not a bad film (some of the acting is... well, questionable) but it suffers from CGI overload which I think screws the actors over. It looks amazing however you look at it though. Simply awe inspiring. It's simply a shame that the actors can't see anything while they're filming it.
Would I recommend it? Yes. I wanted to love this film simply due to the fact the previous efforts were a let down; and that was enough for me. Cynic? Yep.
Go see it - ignore the the Chancellor and his warblings and the ONE and only scene that shows Anakin going from good to bad and you'll enjoy it. Even better - take your brain out on the way in.
"There were heroes on both sides."
"Evil is everywhere".
Duh.. (you'll see).

What else. Ah yes - made 49 in WoW. Then stopped.. ran out of quests and areas to get decent XP. Hardly surprising - but I was trying to play the game properly. That'll teach me.

My poor Gemma has an evil cold. AND she has to start her exams this week. I do miss her.

Recent sightings.. or "observations"

I walked in to town yesterday to enjoy the weather and get a decent sandwich (which is not possible at work).
On my way out I had a look around and noticed what cars were out there (it's a big car park). There is the usual lot (your Mondeo/Vectra), and the upper/middle "class" of vehicle; BMW M3, 911s, Z9s, M5s etc etc (quite a few, too) and then I noticed the following lovely cars:
New Aston Martin DB9 in Seal Grey. That is one beautiful car!
Lotus Exige. It's a daily driver too! Madman.
TVR Cerbera. In blue.. it's yummy!

There's plenty more - but clearly a lack of poor people about! :shock:

I'm not a BMW man.. but..

.. this is something else!

Two new pages for your perusal...

Firstly there is the Renault Clio page. It's SO not interesting. Really.. one pic and no spec. But, hey, it's a car I own so it deserves a page. Especially since it's the most reliable thing I've driven in years. More pics and updates on her as time goes by.
Secondly we have the new Porsche 993 page. I don't actually own this car yet, but in a week I hope to and I have these pics so I thought I'd post them up. I have a dozen more that I need to resize and post - and I'll get round to it! But have a nose anyway!

Random ranting...

So I have nothing to tell you. That's how exciting my life it right now.

Life in the fast lane.

Last night as I travelled to the gym, I saw the usual M27 idiocy. A woman driving way too quickly on the inside lane (with tunnel vision) undertook me as I tried to filter out of the middle lane. Narrowly missing me (indicators and all) she then refused to let someone move from the filter (Farlington) lane in to the left lane of the M27/A27. Since he had no choice, he moved over in front of her. To my surprise she sped up and got within a foot of his rear bumper.
Okay - so it's not unusual to see (in her red Mk3 Astra). But she did have a young child on the back seat. Shocking.#

Thankfully it's nearly the weekend (being Wednesday... you know... not the third day) and it's a long one. Can't wait!

After a lot of phoning...

.. and internet quotes I have my final quote on the 911 insurance. Last year I paid £860-odd and this year, with the accident, it's £952.72. That's from Academy Insurance Services (0800 316 6266). Not bad at all. Tesco/Virgin were close at around £1100 and even Priviledge were pretty good (£1103).
So I'll be sorting that out when they call me back... 17 phone calls and a host of 'net quotes! Mad.

More E3

The show is now over and complete coverage can be found on pretty much every gaming site!
I choose Gamespy as it's the easiest to remember. But Gamespot or a quick Google for E3 will net you many a result. Lots to see this year!

School playground arguments

I like reading up on TrekBBS. It's full of fanboys (like myself) and the like and it's mostly harmless ( ;) ). However there is a fascinating thread on Trek vs Wars... yeah you know the rest! It's clever that an argument that really doesn't work can still be argued. That is to say, two story lines based in completely different galaxies (and time scales) can have so much in common.
There is even a Star Trek vs Star Wars website that attempts to argue the points en mass.

Why? No idea.. but it's still fun!

Weekend and Monday report

So this morning I went to a company (now Temple Reid) about a management course/builder. Basically (nutshell style) they take you, mould you and put you in to a management position. Now, the meeting was good (and I'm going back) and they certainly know their stuff - however, so far I'm not sure they can help me. Why? I don't know. I think it's my inner cynic - but we'll see. Cost is an issue too - and that will probably kill the idea before I get underway. Nothing in this life is free. I'll report back after my second meeting on Friday afternoon.
I had a great weekend with Gemma (always do!) but now I am not seeing her until the 18th June! ARG!
I shouldn't feel sorry for myself as she has to do her end of year exams... so I won't be a pain ;)
We watched Equilibrium on Saturday afternoon; I've seen it before but it's a great movie! Go see it if you haven't already.
Oh and get over to Virgin Megastores as they are doing 3 DVDs for £20 and I bought:
Along came Polly
Dodgeball
Bruce Almighty
Equilibrium
Ronin SE
Gone in 60 Seconds
Not bad eh?

Star Wars Episode 3 is now out.. £186million so far... but does that mean it's any good? I don't know.. I guess I'll go watch it.

What next for the Calibra?

I've "postponed" some work on the Turbo until after this show season - I figure that if I start anything then I'll end up missing both PV and Billing.

After the show season though I have to be careful - I don't want to spend a great deal more but I keep seeing things I want! It's no good... lol.. stupid evil slippery slope.

Anyway, do I bother with:

1. Custom ECU - the only real route to 400bhp
2. 800cc injectors - see above.. lol
3. Coil pack (replacing dizzy) - more reliable
4. New mega-fuel pump (already at home.. just need to fit)
5. Refurb the wheels (nice idea I have too)
6. New seats.. my cream leather is A1 but I have seen some great seats... and have already spoken with the local trimmers.
7. Paint job - there is a spot of rust coming through and some laquer peeling where is really shouldn't be; time for a complete job?

Or do I just leave it? Don't worry - no plans to sell. Although my girlfriend may end up killing me if I don't..

You see my bind, don't you? The initial 4 items are the important ones - but the ECU alone is £850+vat (for the DTA). I don't like a job half finished... I really don't - but I'm also only doing about 25 miles a week!

I think I feel like moaning for the sake of it to be honest.

How the week passes!

Thursday already! Blimey... the week started slow and now it's nearly over. Weird.

I'm looking forward to the weekend - I'm seeing my Gemma! However, I won't then see her for around a month :( - that's exams for you. Oh well.. I have plenty to keep me busy (I think) during that period.

The deposit on the 911 is done. I've booked the holiday and the flight - I just need insurance and the cash (urg) and I can go get it (well, it's good one but I'm still being careful). I don't relish the drive back but it should be fine if the weather is okay. I'll be sensible and stop at least once (maybe twice) to prevent my brain leaking from my ears. :) - If all else fails I'll just fly back.
That reminds me.. I need to chase Elephant (that would usually be a strange comment).

I made 46 in WoW last night. I'm probably off until Sunday now then I'll have to uber-grind to get back up to speed!

The next-gen consoles are all over the news (even the BBC). The Xbox will rule the airwaves, the PS3 will take graphics further than ever and the Revolution will allow you to play 20 year old games. Umm. Yeah. My vote currently stands with the PS3. I loved the PS1 - hated to 2 but the 3 has sparked my interest.. although that's mainly from a technical standpoint. Unfortunately they ('box/Ps) both have some really interesting titles lined up and that's all that really counts - and therefore I'll need both in my life (despite the fact neither will get used, ever.). Sad but true.

To finish, here are some pretty cars.

E3

E3 starts today for the public - but it started on Monday for the press and they are already reporting on it. I prefer Gamespy for my footage so head on over and read up on the Playstation 3 (complete with Spiderman font), Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Revolution.

While I couldn't warm to the PS2 I think the PS3 has my attention... :)

Looking after the little women

It is important for men to remember, that as women grow older it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive and there's nothing worse than an oversensitive woman.

My name is Ron...... Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Julie.

When I took "early retirement" last year, it became necessary for Julie to get a full-time job, both for extra income and for our pension that we needed. Shortly after she started working I noticed she was beginning to show her age.

I usually get home from the Golf Course about the same time she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table.

I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill at the club so eating out is not reasonable. I'm ready for some home cooked grub when I hit that door...

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now, it's not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.

I really think my experience as a teacher helps a lot. I consider telling people what they ought to do one of my strong points...

And speaking of bed, her age really shows up there. I go out and golf all day, come in dead tired and after a two hour nap and a good meal, I'm ready, if you know what I mean. Age has gotten her so bad that she actually dozes off during lovemaking. But that's okay. Her satisfaction in that area is important to a sensitive guy like me and if she enjoys sleeping during our little trysts, what the hey...

Now that she has gotten older, she does seem to get tired so much more quickly. Our washer and dryer are in the basement. Sometimes she says she just can't make another trip down those steps.

I don't make a big issue of this; as long as she finishes up the laundry the next evening, I'm willing to overlook it. Not only that, but unless I need something ironed to wear to the Monday commitee meeting, or to Wednesday's or Saturday's night out with the boys, or to Tuesday's darts night or Thursday's snooker night, or something like that, I will tell her to wait until the next evening to do the ironing. This gives her a little more time to do some of those odds and ends like shampooing the dog, vacuuming or dusting...

Also, if I had a really good day on the course and it was wet and muddy, my clubs are a mess, so I let her clean them, you know.....get the grit off the grips and a little light Brillo on the club faces at a casual pace. My golf bag is heavy so I lift it out of the boot for her. Women are delicate, have weak wrists and can't lift heavy stuff as good as men. But I did tell her I don't like to be wakened during my after-golf nap, so rather than bother me, she can put them back in the boot when she's finished.

Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But boys, we take em for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or even three days. That way she won't have to rush so much.

I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean). I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more! rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half finished mowing the yard. I try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And, as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me too, and then take her break by my hammock. That way she can talk with me until I fall asleep.

I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Julie. I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older.


However, guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other...

Signed,


Ron


Unfortunately shortly after receiving this I found out that Ron had died suddenly. Apparently he was found in his garage with a Calloway extra long 50 inch Big Bertha Driver II rammed up his posterior, with only 2 inches of grip showing. His wife Julie was arrested, but the all-woman Jury accepted her defense that he accidentally sat on it, and she was released on April 4th.

A little more to the left...

Hopefully, if the day does not own me, I shall be sorting out the details of the 911 later today... around 3pm in fact :)
Although I will call my insurance company first to make sure I can actually do it (nah.. I'll buy it anyway).
I don' like dealing with large amounts of money; it's scary. It's also a little embarassing getting that much in cash from a bank - I do not like it one bit. :(
I should also look in to flights to Manchester - eek.

Nearly made 46 last night in WoW - it's a long slog but worth it. I need 47 really so I can upgrade my weapon and then enter a new area; I do not particularly like grinding levels out as it's not really the way to play - however, sometimes you need to do it just to get to the newer quests. Ah well!

Damn.. work.

I hate Mondays

I grew up with Garfield. Okay, well - he's a month older than I am - but I've never liked Mondays and neither does he. I like Lasagna though.
Yesterday was glorious - I have no idea quite how warm it was, but my back says 150,000c. Heh.. I thought I was outside for a couple of hours (try four) and I'm a little "tender". lol. Mad, yes... but also a little tanned. :)
I have a question - how does one clean a white car? It's easy enough to get the dirt off, but polish? The polish is white for crying out loud! Meh... the Clio is clean and the Calibra, once again, gleaming. Gotta love it. However, I'm noticing rust on one rear arch so I'll need to get on that before it spreads - paint job anyone? :D
The 911 purchase is coming along. I have pics of pretty much everything that is important - and I'm happy to go buy her. I just need to call the owner and arrange it all... wish me luck on that!

I owned at WoW this weekend. Despite getting some sun and doing the shopping, finding time to have pizza with Dean and Laura - watch a Matrix film, washing the cars - cutting the hedges and seeing Dad, I still managed 2.5 levels (43 to nearly 46), got my mount and made back another 15g from nought. :D
Must say I'm enjoying it at the moment!

More later sports fans.

Insuring the Calibra could be a problem...

My renewal came through a bit high so I thought I'd ring round.. I've only had a couple of quotes but they aren't what I'd call "cheap". I know why it is. Claims do not help.
More ringing round to be done...

XBox 360

Having not seen any game footage yet, it surprises me to find that I'm really impressed with the specs of MS's new toy.
Officially announced last night (May 12th) on MTV, the new box has some clever tricks up it's sleave...
Get over to Gamespy for all the detail you need. Check out the videos too as they show the insides (which has to be a first!) and the design specs.

Friday baby.. Friday

Well I think I've posted every day this week. Not bad eh? At least the blog is being used rather than abused. Heh.

So I settled down for a quick Forza sesh' last night. Straight to the 'ring with a C6. Ruddy quick car, that... but it's still a yank and doesn't do cornering the way I imagined it would (it's a game, mind!). Didn't finish that as I mashed it pretty good early on. Straight on over to the 996 GT3 and tried again. Noooow we're talking! Okay, definitely not as quick off the line as the big V8 is but it's so much more "chuckable" in the corners.. really enjoyed that.
Did a few of the "Career" mode races and won some cheap metal... I think I'll enjoy this game. :D

I really should upload those 911 pics.. think I might do that now. :)

Success!

So it doesn't hurt to hassle your insurance company.
The quote I've been given is more than I expected - and I'm happy to accept it. I could probably squeeze a bit more from them but it's been 2 months and 2 days since I started this and I'm tired of waiting - and this means I can buy the car I'm looking at! :D
No, I won't say what I'm being offered.. lol

WoW Battlegrounds live on test server

I rarely post about WoW as I've not really enjoyed playing it recently. It's become drawn out and the tasks set don't really lead anywhere. To sum up - playing is largely pointless.
However, raid groups have started to pop up and the much vaunted battlegrounds are on their way.
What is a battle ground? Well it's a player (number) limited area that has a goal. Teams can join up and enter (like an instance) and take ownership of areas/building etc and basically war for it all. I liken it to the old 2D space shoot-em-ups where you work your way up the playing field to the "Boss" at the top. The reality is different but that's the way it works in my head.
Will this be any good? Time will tell.
Read about it here.

Forget water-cooling your PC...

Why not try oil-cooling?

It's yet to be translated in to English but the assumption is that vegetable oil doesn't conduct electricity but also creates a "cool" environment for the system.

It's a bit extreme for my tastes. lol.

Another day..

..another dollar.
Well, once again I shall be hassling the insurance company. Even if I had believed their initial estimates I'd have heard by now. Of course - that's not true.

Forza Motorsport appeared this morning! Yey! I haven't opened it yet but I intend to do that this evening after I teach at the gym. I've been waiting on this a good while now - it's taken nearly as long to make as GT4 did on the PS2.
Go Google it and look at the great piccies... I'm personally more interested in the tracks - the 'ring! :)

Road monkies

They exist; don't think they don't!

3 lanes, which one should you be in? Left. How fast should you be travelling on a clear, dry day? 70mph.
So last night I see a road monkey. It wasn't obvious as it was disguised as a young lady (circa, 25) with boyfriend in tow. She was travelling at.. wait for it... 45mph in the middle lane of the M27 at 4:45pm on a Tuesday afternoon.
If you know this road then you'll know that it's a busy one and rarely can you have the luxury of travelling at such pathetically dangerous speeds for the hell of it. I undertook her at 55mph - I dared not go any quicker, but neither did I have the outright power (Clio) to leap across 2 lanes, climb to 70mph and then throw myself across a further 3 to get to my junction in safety.

This was a road monkey. Beware.

Still no progress

I don't want to be a pain (despite what my friends may tell you). All I want is an answer. A figure. An offer.. nothing more. Well that's not strictly true - I want a wad of cash. However, in the first instance I want to tell a very patient man that I'm going to buy his car. He won't be patient for long (and nor should he).
I shall continue to pester my insurance company until I get some satisfaction. Whatever that may be.
Oh, if you hadn't guessed - I just phoned and was told I'll be contacted when they can be arsed to.

Wednesday it is, Wednesday...

You can't keep a good blogger down. Or at least, you can't keep a blogger down.
Another day, another dollar - but will I get my insurance company to pull their finger out? Errr. Hmm. Ummm. Well, I shall post later on that one.
I saw my good friend Si last night. It seems odd to see him back "daaaan saaaaaf" after so long but it also seems right I guess. The next few months for him will be odd - his life is kind of in flux and he's not really sure what's going to happen - so I wish him all the best.
The 911 I've seen is still about - and it sounds like a cracker of a car. I really hope I can secure it.

Tea time.

Insurance update

Or more accurately, lack of.

The "It'll be reviewed today" quote I had yesterday is now a "It hasn't been reviewed as they're very busy". So I was honest and said I was going to pester every day. I'm sick of waiting and I know I'll not get anything sorted before this other car is sold. Of course, will another come up when I have the money? No, it won't. That's called "Sod's law" don't you know.

X3: Reunion

I've posted before about the X games. I loved the startling beauty and the gorgeous soundtracks - but hated the 15/20 hours of gameplay required to make 1 credit. I don't have 15 hours to devote.. so neither of the previous games kept my attention.
This news story from PC ZONE has some shots and info on the third in the X series. This includes a fancy new engine and probably another 20/30 hours of gameplay before you find out how to turn the ship's engine on. A shame.. it's so pretty. :)

Pirates of the Caribbean - ONLINE!

Oh good grief.
Right off the back of my last blog I happened upon this. In fact, it was in the next e-mail I had from PC ZONE.
It's due to be released along-side (yeah, joke intended) the next film next summer... next.. summer. 2005 or 2006? I can't be bothered to look..
In fact, this one will suck. LOTR may be okay with the backing it has.. and the history. But this is based on a themepark ride at Disneyland. Yeahhhhh.
Well time will tell. I hope. :)

Lord of the Rings... ONLINE!

It's not new.. at least, it's not new "news". Last year this little oddity jumped up amid the throws of post-LOTR trilogy madness and announced it's intentions. Back then it was Middle Earth Online - or something just as obvious. However, it's developers/publishers has changed and now it's Lord of the Rings. Online.
The initial pics and info do sound quite interesting (read the Gamespy article here) - but I wonder if it'll try to be another WoW (without the "bad guy" element). I don't know. It's not out until 2006 and by then it will likely have changed considerably (as, I hope, will WoW).

I give it a "meh" out of 10. :)

Dear diary...

Ok, so it's a pathetic excuse to make it look like I'm updating the site. But I am! :)

Have I mentioned how little I like insurance companies? Well I'm about to. You see, I wrote my 911 off a couple of months ago. This sort of thing happens and there is nothing I could have done about it at the time (other than not drive it in the first place). As gutted as I am about the whole thing I had some solace in the fact that I paid a very large amount of money to an insurance company to protect from this very eventuality. Unfortunately, as is often the case, I'm sat here two months later - still paying for the damn thing - and have seen very little in the way of activity from the company in question.
Now, don't misunderstand me here. I'm not slating them. It's just that it isn't all that hard to review some pieces of paper and pay up. Yeah, I'm not the only person that has insurance - but I am the customer - and therefore, right. Having been in a customer facing industry before, I know how it works.
To make matters worse, I've found a car (that will be long sold before I get any money). She's identical to my previous effort, and at a great price. Humph.

I chased them yesterday and I will chase them today. It won't help me but at least I'm trying.

It's Tuesday.

I'm a lazy sod....

Yup it's true. I can't be bothered with computers right now. I guess it's partly due to the weather (it's been nice!) and partly due to pure laziness. But I've been feeling like that a lot recently. WoW has gone out the window. Meh.. I have no energy to play bloody computer games - at least, nothing more involving that a 5 minute blast. WoW is not that. LOL.

Education gets told to lose MS. Heh. I love it. It'll never happen (as usual) but it's nice to hear that things are happening. I don't hate MS - not at all - but I like the competition (it's healthy).

Longhorn gets RSOD. Why? Stupid idea.. why not just let the offending module die and then have it restart? Meh.

New XBox anyone?. I doubt it'll retail looking anything like that but.. whatever. Meh. Again. :D

What else? Well the Calibra is sat doing nothing at the moment. Time is short and I can't play. Meh. I'll get round to it! This weekend I think I'll spend playing. Rain or not. Although I may be arranging a long drive instead.. hmmm. That's not related to this though.

Gemma is back at Uni. I've been up there this weekend. I always enjoy that! Only another 8 weeks and a year left (yeah, work that out) and she's back for good. Can't say I'll be upset when she's back! :)

The show season is upon us. Next month it's the Performance Vauxhall Show at Santa Pod. Then a month later, in the same area, is the VBOA's show at the Billing Aquadrome (go Google it if you can be bothered!). i really enjoy these shows and it lets me show off the car and my hard work. Next year may be quite different as work and the car may put me in a position that may make me miss them. Either that, or the full respray, retrim and more engine work will. Hehe. Me? Mad? Never.

Right.. it's lunch time.

New Batman Begins trailer

It's worth posting this. Really. :)

Firefox hits 50million downloads!

I'm a follower... using it right now!

Check this link out to see realtime downloads!

Porn and Jedi names...

They come up a lot don't they?

Porn name is your first pet's name and your mother's maiden name..

So mine would be something like Tommy Clark. Crap isn't it?

Jedi name is the first two letters of your first name and first two of your second name for your FIRST name. Then the first two letters of your mother's maiden name and the first two letters of your place of birth for your SECOND name..

So mine would be Dawi Clpo. Crap again. Great name I have eh?

Simpsons is number ONE...

At pretty much everything. Firstly the best cartoon ever - now it's the best children's show.
Bloody good show! :D

Blah

Indeed. Today had it's ups and downs.
Gemma left (clearly a down, before you take the piss) for University again. I hate that. This Easter has been great; one of my best times with Gem during a "school holiday" and I'm gutted she's gone. Again.

However, I did manage to run around 10 miles this morning. Not a huge thing but my back doesn't like me doing it. Hmm. Tomorrow I may be sore.
I did it prove a point to myself. That I could do it, and therefore do the Great South Run this year. I never get to do it due to injury so this year I'm making that effort.

Wonderful weather too.. until I got home and it rained heavily all afternoon (only here, of course). So I couldn't play car. Did the ironing instead.

One thing I don't get about us Brits - a bit of sun and we all get outside on motorcycles. "That's not odd" you may think - but we do it without leathers. Why does anyone think that a helmet alone will save them in an accident? Bloody idiots.

I've gone and bought another car too. A Renault Clio. I'll get a page up about it soonish (if I can be bothered!). It's nothing special; 1.4RT, 1992 K-plate, 5-door hatch in white. It'll do the job and replace the Calibra as the daily slogger. Doing 3 miles back and forth, short journeys etc were likely going to kill that £8k engine I've just built. So I'll use it for pleasure and work on it in the meantime. At least the Clio has good seats! :)

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is out this week... I can't wait and am getting the audio books in preperation ;)

Will Smith has a new album out called Lost and Found - the first track is great. :)