Make…..........History

Hey up,

Make Pete Doherty History (Enough said really)

Make the World Cup History (The rest of the general public demand it)

Make the AUT strike History (I'd like my degree to run smoothly please)

Make George Gallaway History

Make Nikki from Big Brother History (By blowing her head off preferably)

Make my financial problems History

Make The Daily Mail History

Cheers

Daniel

: 03 Jun 2006 18:07 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Tagged

By a somewhat cruel twist of fate i've been tagged by one of these fill me in chain mail style things. I shall however fill this one in for three reasons:

1. It was set as a task for me by Deano
2. I will do anything to avoid revision
3. It's remarkably simple in comparison to the junk I normally have arrive

I am Daniel Adams. Please note, the Addams family of cinema fame has two d's. That's my only escape from the jokes. Try writing Adams into your phone. Yep, that's right. It never was my nickname though. BigD is what they called me. I'll leave why to your sick and twisted imaginations.

I want my final exam to be over so that I can finally say i'm finished, like every other git around here.

I wish I had more self control to do revision.

I love Vicky, my family, my closest friends and a good macaroni pudding.

I fear spiders. Oh, and boats. Deep water freaks me out. The vast blackness of the unknown depths. I guess I also fear the time when we run out of petrol. I love cars.

I hear that to have a good time you have to drink and go to places where they play deafening repetitive music in the pitch black. Bullshit. You don't have to do these things to have fun you sad little individuals.

I wonder if life will ever get any easier from here on in.

I regret not joining any societies at uni. In fact no I don't. Why do I have to join societies to be a well rounded person? So get lost.

I dance rarely and badly.

I cry when The Office or The Royale family comes on TV, because they are utterly shite.

I confuse myself. Lots.

I tag ooooo let me think. Shall I enter into the spirit of this thing 100%. I've already filled it out, isn't that enough? I tag no one. I'm sure this thing will survive without my further input. I'm also sure most of the people i'd fork this over too have been covered.

Cheers

Daniel

: 03 Jun 2006 18:02 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

There Will Be No Song and Dance.

Hey all,

Put simply, I didn't get the Japanese job.

I'm on the alternate short list. Which means if enough idiots give up the opportunity of a life time, they send me.

I could rant on about the fact that i'll miss all the orientation should they decide to send me at the end of September, or that I now can't plan our future further than my own nose.

But I won't.

Cheers

Daniel

: 21 Apr 2006 21:02 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Over The Top

Hey,

Apologies for incomplete Japan interview Blog. I might one day complete it. Plus if, if, if, I get the job then it'll be the blog of 'Another Englishman in Japan'.

I suppose I should write about somethings….......

The buses – I paid for a bus pass. I'd like some sort of bus service. Please. Is that a possibility? What's more, the process of complaining, even by the University, is met by a stone wall. It's now not uncommon for anything up to four buses to accumulate on campus at any one time. Then, you'll climb on the front one, only to find that the one behind leaves first but you weren't told. Second to that, buses depart for Leamington with no-one on them because the service terminated at University. Does it not make sense to just ferry passengers back and terminate at the top of town or the parish church so they can go to the depo? There are buses now that do this and sometimes they aren't posted as such on the front. It's got better, but when a bus says Sydenham on the front and i'm then told I need to get off because he actually only goes to the train station is out of order.

Our bus stop is the first on the route. So you'd think that they would wait time there to sort things out. But no. There is a culture of leaving bus stops early and waiting time anywhere they fancy. Some bus drivers go buy lunch. Others sit and smoke. Some just want to get back to swap over for their break. It means that people are left waiting for buses that have already gone past. There are buses that terminate at our stop. Which has two schools of thought, the bus driver now has to negotiate his way back to town to go back to the depo. So why not just terminate in town before or after our stop? (You can get to the depo easy one stop before us, but once you turn on to our road, they have to take the loop).

It's also true to say that my Grandmother could drive a bus better than some of these monkeys. The disregard paid to passengers over speed bumps (especially when the average age of the occupant is 70 odd) is unforgivable. A lady actually cried out today and another gritted her teeth and held on for dear life as we negotiated a turn in town way too fast, calling for some harsh corrective breaking.

I talked to our next door neighbour bus dispatch worker in leamington, he's told me the buses are "shite" and that "you can't rely on them can you". He can't do anything and is quite ready to admit they are rubbish. So when you own employees know there's a problem, surely thats alarm bells to those higher up?

I'll pass comment on the stupidly small number of buses going to campus over the hols. It used to be repetitive times over the hour to campus and all was well, you knew where you stood. Now it's randomly set times over the day but only certian ones go to campus, the rest stop in Kenilworth. Why go all that way and not pop through campus?

That's that. Another bus rant.

What else….......

Oblivion on Xbox 360. I've played in three time and my play time is over twelve hours. It's addictive. It could take over my life. I need to put it down so I can do my exams. I could talk for hours about it. But I won't bore you with the nerdy RPG stuff. :D

Lastly, i'm now facing the wall. Facing the trench ladder. I'm about to go over the top into nomans land. These next five weeks will determine the outcome of my degree and i need to lay the work down. So i best go off to do that….......

Cheers

Daniel

: 02 Apr 2006 18:39 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Coronation Street

Hey,

Before I finish my JET interview blog, I just can't stop the feeling within me to rant about a certain TV program.

A certain chain of events has been leading to this moment. Don't say I didn't warn you.

So, what's the most watched TV show in Britain? No, it's not sodding Eastenders anymore. It's the every more (insert every possible deragatory profanity here) rubbish Coronation Street. Something like 11.5 Million people sat down to watch the poxy programme over the last week.

Sorry, but a descriptive word will precede every mention of the programme in mention.

What does it say about today's culture and society when 'The Programme That Shall Not Be Named' is the most watched entertainment from the cathode ray dispenser?

Not only that, most of it's viewers are too lazy to even name it fully, shortening it to 'Corro' or it's referenced to as 'The Street'.

IT IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE BIGGEST LOAD OF TRIPE IMAGINABLE.

When Jeff marries Martha, Fred's estranged brother twice removed cousin previously Esmerelda sex changed girlfriend, Bob hits Tony, his half father shopkeeper prostitute serial killer lover, because he wants to marry Martha, his step mothers split personality.

Seriously, no, that's actually next weeks story line.

When people try to argue that its actually good. You have to ask them why. Then, it's like they weren't expecting that question. It's like they expected the totally undeniable 'Corro Force' will brainwash you into liking it for them. If that fails and they actually have to come up with reasons, normally the shock causes brain failure and the replies chortle nervously something along the lines of 'Cos it is'. Well, our survery says…............ee uuuh.

Ok, so that's cruel. So drop me some justification. It's well written? Let me describe the 'too many cooks' problem. Then, actually go back and read some of the plot lines. Think to yourself about them for a while, you'll find a four year old must have been on the writing council. A sadistic four year old who knows only four words. Die, Kiss, Split, Kill. See how many story lines you can make with the characters available in the programme. Oh look, loads, and they all seem like ones they actually used. Told you, four year old.

When there are soap esque drama's out there like Desperate Housewives that are written a darn sight better (not quite perfect but give me that) why is this pap watched?

Then, viewers are shocked by the events on screen more often than not. But, they've read it last week in a gossip magazine so know what's going to happen. I pray for these people.

So if it's not well written, where's the next bit of justification coming from? Oh, it's well acted?

Uhhu. Please. Casualty is better acted. Yes. I said casualty is better acted. I saw some of Highlander the other night. That was better acted. Yes, yes it was.

Why, if it's well acted, have these people never been offered anything remotely better than a backwater job in a poor British soap opera? Ok they have? They've only turned it down because their job is secure for all 60 years of their working life as a regular.

Oh god there's more in this rant. But if I continue, I will insult and possible maim.

The backlash to this post will be more painful than any of you can possibly imagine.

Cheers

Daniel

: 22 Feb 2006 21:03 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Please, Please, Please, Please, Please.

Hey all,

The word busy doesn't go to convey the state of play on my calendar right now. The amount of work I should be doing could only be performed by an infinite number of monkeys at an infinite number of type-writers. Then they might by sheer coincidence produce my work for me.

That aside, last Tuesday saw my first real interview come and go. I've applied to the JET programme which involves me going to Japan for a year to teach English to High School kids. I would dearly love to be told that i've got the job and that in July i'll be flying off this rock. The interview was the second part of the selection process (w00t) and required me to be at the Japanese embassy in London for near on 5 o' clock. Surprisingly, my Dad decided to travel with me. It was really good to spend time with him and have him there for general support and to aid my direction of travel.

It wasn't an uneventful day. It is true to say that the law of the sod came into play throughout much of it. When something important is going on, you can rest assured that there will be many hurdles placed in front of me to test my character and resolve.

It began quite early on at the train station. As we bought tickets we were informed that someone had decided that today was indeed a good day to die. Consequently they had put themselves under a train at Sudbury station near Wembley not ten minutes before our arrival. Now, it's not a nice thing. The general cry from most was that whoever this person was, was exceptionally selfish. Not only had the entire collection of train services been stopped going into London but you have a traumatised train driver and a large quantity of fed up travellers.

We got one station down the line before being herded off the train because the service had been cancelled. So, possibly one of the most important days of this year and it's all going to pot. My Dad was doing his best Basil Faulty impression remarking that "If he's not dead when we get there, i'll kill him myself". In all fairness, Chiltern Railways rose to the challenge. Within minutes a coach had arrived to ferry people off in one direction, while our train reversed up the tracks, another arrived from the same direction and then promptly turned round and took us back the way we came. Errrr…..yea.

It took us the back way into London. So the trip overall was an hour and a half longer than it should have been. Thank god for my Dad's "We're leaving now" mindset.

Now, London is always a culture shock to me. The rat race starts the instant you get off the train. Life steps up a gear but no one is cruising. They are all recklessly charging around on a definite collsion course with stress and anger. The air is thinner and has a faint sulphur smell. It actually makes my throat burn for some time while my body becomes adjusted to it's new operating conditions. We charged off the train and into Marylbone station. After deciphering the underground pipe puzzle we set off down into the belly of the beast.

Lesson time. I'll finish this later.

: 01 Feb 2006 09:33 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Awakening

Hmmmm….............what….......

/* Rubs Sleep From Eyes

whaaaaa…......ooooh.

/* Blinks Repeatedly

What's this thing?

/* Confused Caveman Look Across Face

Oh Yeah. I forgot about this thing. But who are they?

/* Confused Look Dissapears….......then Reappears.

Looks like I've gained some new readers. Better give them something to gossip about.

/* Taps Monitor Glass. Cackles.

: 24 Jan 2006 09:37 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

New Territory

Hey,

Long time no see. Busy busy time behind, and ahead. Thought i'd get something in before it all kicks off.

So, in a BT advert stylee,

I've met this girl. Well, she's not a girl. She's a fully grown woman who's training to work with kids.

It's currently nothing short of awesome. I'm having to learn a whole new way of thinking. Trying to pick up on the correct reply to certain sentances…......which i'm currently crap at.

In fact, I don't get this lucky, these things don't happen to me at all. I'm in a state of shock over it all. This woman, actually wants to spend time with me. Which is at first confusing, then complimentary, then just plain odd. "Sorry, you actually want to be sat here with me?" "Are you not bored beyond belief?" "Did I tell you i'm boring?" "Oh" "But you're still here"

However much the downbeat side of my brain attempts to give her ways out of all of this, she ignores me.

It's all early stages. So far, i've enjoyed what I thought was an almost perfect dinner with her. We had plenty to talk about, i don't know if we laughed enough, did we have enough in common…...the mind boggles. But she wanted to go to mirage after that, and in a distinct personality shift, I actually 'boogie-ed' mostly sober. She didn't leave either once she saw that. Bonus.

Mirage did teach me several things. That I need to learn to like (read – 'cope') listening to Brian Adams and Bon Jovi. You have no idea how much of a task this will be. It's akin to the Sideshow Bob Matlock Dilemma from the Simpsons. Except I can't walk off the dancefloor away from this amazing woman for fresh air when it comes on. Apparently all I need is re-education. I need partially selective hearing if i'm ever to survive it.

We've done the shopping bit as well. Even the washing up bit. Apparently these are all 'bits' that are involved in these things. Shopping left me with a new set of jeans in the first new fit i've tried in four years. Look what she's done to me already. Although she was right. To fight back we got her a top she wouldn't have bought but makes her look fantastic. So rasberry to you too.

Sigh.

So, expect, possibly, some scribbles on the oddity of surfing the new territory of relationships.

Cheers

Daniel

: 18 Nov 2005 21:39 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Now it's My Turn.

Hey,

I knew the time would come. I need a vent for the anger that builds inside me. The new Stagecoach pink buses are shite.

Even that helps. I'm sure every last person in Leamington trying to get to Warwick University feels my pain. I live next door to an ex-X12 driver and now a dispatch worker and he agrees they have a serious problem.

Need evidence? I almost had the photograph that would have been front page Boar material. Whilst walking down the parade to south Leamington, on the opposite side of the road, in the space between the top crossroads and the town hall were four, yes four, U1 pink buses. Sodding four of them! Print cannot convey the strange amusement I drew from it and the sheer astonishment at the situation.

What was it they said? The new timetable will prevent bunching. If my mobile phone had a decent camera i'd have got the lot of them in frame. It was a joke. I might have laughed at the time, but it did piss me off thinking i'd be screwed had I been on one.

Only this morning the eight past bus went five minutes early leaving me to wait for the twenty past. When that turned up and left at quarter past I started to see something forming in my brain that might explain the bus services current plight. More on that shortly. By the time we reached the top of the parade, the twenty past bus I was on, overtook the two buses infront of it. So as a threesome we ran to uni. So I wasn't late, as the bus would normally have been in getting me there.

Ok, so the parade is causing some issues, now with the middle bus stop missing on one side confusing old people tempers are starting to fray. The other thing i've picked up on is the fact that downstairs now fills up first on the buses rather than the top as it has done over the past two years. Yesterday, I found out why. The radios on the top are seldom tuned in and the buzzing and squealing drove me nuts.

The other day my housemate and I waited nearly 40 minutes for a bus. Two went past in the space of a minute just as we got ready to depart the house. Then the long vigil at the bus stop meant I was late for an important project meeting. Which buses were the ones we saw? and where the hell were the ones in the gap? Which one was the one we caught? Argh. To top it all off, there is this trend for U1's to stop at the top of campus and sit for some twenty to thirty minutes before leaving. In which time two buses will have just driven straight past without stopping. It's then that the bus driver informs you he doesn't leave until ten past and we should try to get on one of the buses that leaves before him. Then why did you get here first?

The other thing that's catching me lately is the random buses that only go as far as the railway bridge on the way back. They don't go to st helens road (the official start and end of the route) or sydenham. Looking at the timetable they are supposed to go to st helens road. But becuase it's easier to just go to the depo from the bottom of town, they seem to do this.

My next door neighbour and I have agreed its an attitude problem on the bus drivers part. They all have a stop they like to make up time at. Ever got on a bus and it's sat there for some twenty minutes? Feel sorry for the sods who are waiting for it at the bus stops behind it. The big bald bus driver the route has likes to stop at the bottom of sydenham to make up his time for example. Some sit at the parish church and grab a bite to eat from the newsagent or some sit on campus. Some want to get to the driver swap as soon as possible as well. So there is this growing trend for buses to just past stops even if they are early. To carry on driving regardless of the fact that they aren't supposed to leave that stop for another five minutes. Screwing the entire timetable and bunching things up.

What's the net result of all this? It seems to be more appreciation from the customers. Don't get me wrong, in previous years i've been the only guy to say thanks, no everyone does it. Which is nice and polite of us all. Perhaps though if we were more vocal about the idiocy of the situation things might change. Rant over. Meh.

Cheers

Daniel

: 25 Oct 2005 23:52 |  Comments (9) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Coffee, The Shakes, Letters and Victory!

Hey all,

In the closest impression of Stewie (Family Guy) I can do, "Victory is mine!". In what I can only call a battle of wills between me and myself, I have won. Ok, this is difficult to describe without sounding really 'look at me', so go with me here. I've been suffering with Dysthymic Disorder. Which, by a contradiction in itself, is Chronic Mild Depression. Do you research, it's brought on by a trigger event (sister in a car crash, old friend of mine died) and often occurs in Uni students under particular 'stressors'. It doesn't include any psychotic or manic episodes and has a list of symptoms similar to that of any modern day teenager. It should last no longer than a few years (teenager me thinks again) and can be sorted by working out the underlying issues causing it. One conspirital thought I had relates to the symptom that sufferers will claim they are fine for lengthy periods and appear so, but will drop back into depression every once in a while. Isn't that any person? A bad day at the office maybe? A bad week? Is it just an excuse to label us all mad?

It's odd, because I fit the list of manifestations pretty well. Plus it explains a heck of a lot. There are references to vitiman deficiences, I had the blood test some time ago showing I had an iron and magnesium problem or something. Sufferers have trouble 'switching off' to sleep and sleep badly, I've been on sleeping tablets for ages just to nod off but wake up a lot. Suffers often oversleep as well, well I can sleep for 16 hours without blinking, and do when i've got days off from uni. Sufferers are irritable (not cynical I might add) and can be hostile. I put this down to my constant tiredness. Odd really. Needless to say, I've been branded as a sufferer because I fit the bill in the other departments too – like the section on substance abuse. But I still don't trust it.

My housemate Dave came up with a valid description the other day. Depression is a state of not caring, you have no energy to do anything and just don't want to. People who are depressed commit suicide when they start taking pills, because they've finally got something giving them the gusto to do it. Niche.

The victory refers to my constant refusal to swallow anything to help. Efexor Venlafaxine 37.5mg. I had a whole ton of them provided. Night and day. Happy in the day, sleepy at night. But over the course of the problem I've taken maybe 10 if that. Now, they've been taken away from me because they finally think I don't actually need them. They were only worth 30p each on the black market anyway. Arrr.

Personally, i'm almost there. One more group session to go and i'm free to continue without the label. I'm looking forward to it. Perhaps I'll throw an 'It's over' house party. Yay.

Second on this weeks list is letters. I had a letter from an old friend because he has no internet connection. Written on champagne paper and in lavender ink it really cheered me up immensly. The ancient art of letter writing should be resurrected for sure. I'm in the process of replying and i'm really enjoying it. The royal mail are on an offensive to make us love them and start writing again before they lose their monopoly and to be honest, I think we all should. Trust me, get some paper and write to someone. Your Mum probably is a good start. Or your grandparents. They'd love a letter I reckon. Go for it. It's not that scary.

Next up is the shakes. I'm trying to find a correlation between the shakes I get from alcohol and those I get from Coffee. Over summer I turned into a 'super strong coffee a morning man just to operate' living with a 'a whole litre of coffee and morning man just to operate'. I've come off it slightly but this morning I had the time so knocked some up. I'm now typing with shaky fingers. My body ovbiously can't take this amount of caffiene any more. Sob.

Alcohol shakes occur the morning after and can last the whole day (case in point was Sunday after muchos drinking). So maybe I should come to the conclusion that the shakes are a way of my body telling me to 'not even think about doing that again idiot'. Maybe I should pay more attention to myself.

Oh, and go and see the Wallace and Gromit film. The attention to detail is wonderful and the light hearted comedy is refreshing. I'll need to see it twice to pick up all the little jokes, like the brand of nail gun grommit uses is 'botch' or the antique shop called 'Rare Bits' in a film about rabbits. Masterful.

Cheers

Daniel

: 20 Oct 2005 10:43 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem