Hoot Your Trap Off

Before I go for the weekend, Let me just wish you all a great weekend.

Now lets get phyiscal. Physical. (Readers at the back only) I wanna get physical. Yeaaaaaah

Or "It feels like shopping has more of a suspense feel now."

I've never preordered anythign in my life. Ever. Full stop. Right there.

But there is always time to start. There are always things that make you change the way you behave. In my case it was this beauty....

The fantastic Nintendo Wii

Despite never having preordered, I've never anticipated the launch of a console before. They always been the same. But with its remote like pointing device, console gaming will never be dull ever again.

I only have to wait 10 weeks now....

For those that are not sure how the Wii works, if your playing a shotting game, you aim with the reomote and shoot. If you play a tennis/baseball game, you swing the remote like a bat. If your playing a racing game, you tilt the controller like a steering wheel.
Most important, if your playing a Star Wars game you swish the remote like a light sabre.
With a speaker built in to the remote youll hear realistic swooshes and buzzing clashes and you fight with your light sabre.

But enough about that.

On my way to teh post office this morning I noticed a rather large advertisment near some busy road heading to/from the city centre. Thanks to the wonderful technology of mobile phones (and let me tell you, this mobile phone technology can put a smile on ones face) here is a photo of that sign

Now it doesnt say what this advert is promoting. Whether its some movie or "hip" documentary? Whether its a game or movie? No hint.
Now Im nto for or against America, but whats the point in spending loads of money to advertise this slogan. Obviously someone has some beef with the Yanks.

Or "How to deal with rage, part 1. At work."

I think it was the meister Burt o' Bacharach who said those famous lines

"What the World needs now..."

In my case, here is a visual clue of what the World needs now...

Me Vs the World!
Is a good ol' fashiond bitch slap, preferable on my favourite hand. My Pimping Hand!

Or "How I learnt to spill my secrets."

So sometimes I write down in my notebook interesting things that happen to me. This things I can later go on to blog about. This means that alot of things arent in order, as I blog depending on what note takes my fancy, and some things I dont blog about for a while. I still have 3 or 4 things in my note pad from months ago to blog about. I'm just waiting till I know how to word them properly.

But I completely forgot that I had emailed myself a note about a possible topic. The email simple says;

"man in toilet with jump hangin over shoulders

I emailed myself this in work, so I know it happened at work and I can slightly recall a man walking around the mens toilet with some jumper hanging over his shoulders, looking like a lost polo spectator. Dont know why he thought looking in the mens toilets would help him locate a horse. Up to now I've never heard one in there.

But I cant recall what it was about this man with his jumper that got my attention as to want to write about it.

Either way, whatever it was about this strange clothed man, he still got an entry about himself.

In Other News
Woman is scammed out of €6,000 dollars from conmen. Calls up scammers and says she has called the FBI. Scammers call her back pretending to be the FBI saying the company is legitimate.
Now THATS a good days work!

Or "Now I need to manage my time more."

So the Missus, out of nowhere, only went and got me a present.

It is normally really easy to get any secret information out of the Missus. She tends to be crap. Period.

But this time she was very very quiet. She didn't give any hints, and wasn't tricked by any of my well thought out, er, trickery things.

So on Friday she sat me down, got me to cose my eyes and hold out my hands and produced The Present.

When I opened my eyes I looked and seen I now owned a brand spanking new and very shiney,...

DS lite

After wanting one of these for ages, adn spending the last few weeks trying to get a cheap one on eBay, the Missus goes and purchases one for me.

So I know longer have to wait for the Wii to come out before I start spending more time in my room and away from teh housemates. I can go spend time in my room from now! Yesssssssssss

Or "Seasons change, mad things re-arrange, but I stay the same."

Well we lost a housemate but gained another. Since moving in the new housemate has been
a) out with friends who helped her move
b) arranging her room
c) out with her boyfriend, and
d) generally in her room
We have not been out for a housemates drinkathon yet. When I first moved in to the house back in March or April. Me and the housemate who has left had spend every evening out, despite me being jobless, I still managed to go out every night, even if it was for a few pints.
Up to now the new housemate has managed a few bears in the living room. And not that trendy bar establishment. I mean our actual living room.
We have arranged to go out tonight, althoguh the Missus is up tonight and has been feeling very sick, so I might have to make my byes after a short time.
But when I was looking forward to the new housemate arriving I was looking for the kind of housemate where one would shout "Pub!?!" loudly through the house and all others would then head for the door.
Not the kind of housemate where we have to check everyoens schedule, "No tonights not good I have to be up early." "Yeah, I cant do saturday as I'm out." "I'm visiting family on Friday. Next week perhaps?"

Maybe its just a bit of a busy week for everyone and I'm jumping the gun.
Maybe the new housemate just likes to be organised and have her room all set out perfect, then she can enjoy herself. I mean I cant see the excuse of "Im putting up shelves and making my bed," being used often.
I guess I was kind of expecting the same company that I got when I moved in.
But saying that, I'm still living out of boxes and havent even thought about putting up shelves. I mean it took me two months to get a bed in my room.
But nevermind, Nintendo;s Wii will be out soon, so I'll be locking myself in my room and not coming out for hours.

I want to post photos of Vienna. I will get round to it. Its just that with teh housemate moving out, the phone line/net bill was under her name and had to be cancelled so the other housemate could register. Nope no simple name changing here.
Depiste not having much to do, the housemate still hasnt got round to getting a phone line and net conenction.
But if I get a quite moment in work, Ill try and post a few shots.

But here is a teaser of Minky's Travels in Vienna

After finding the gardens to the palace, Minky goes on a search to find the hidden zoo.

In Other news
134340. Talking about kicking a planet when its down. Despite Pluto losing its title as a planet, its now also lost its name. Say hello to 134340

Or "Okay, okay, it might be a slight over exageration."

Yes, my photos should be here soon, yes I have a new housemate, but I don't want to write about any of that.

Instead I want to bring your attention to this article I read about Lindsay Lohan.

It says how Lindsay was rushed to hospital as she had fallen over in flat heel shoes and damaged her wrist.
Pretty stupid I know, but people do fall over for many reason. The Missus is forever stumbling. In fact she often stumbles, I've started to think its not so much she is tripping up, more that she is trying to get in to the Ministry of Silly Walks.

But the bit that has got my attention the most is,

"[Lohan's publicist] adds, "there's a pending investigation" to determine whether Milk Studios took adequate health and safety precautions with the ground."

Whaaaaaaa? People now have to get adequate health and safety precautions for the ground now?
I can imagine the warnings now,
"Please be aware when walking, as gravity has a habbit of suddenly appearing randomly to pull you down"
"People wishing to commute are advised to crawl, preferable on their stomachs, as we are not insured for this path."

What a load of stupidity.

And on that note, I'm off to wriggle down the stairs, as I dont think I can reach the elevator button from the floor.

Or "Getting round to things takes a bit of time."

Well my photos are currently bing developed. I'm wainting for them to be finished (Wednesday) so I can try out more of a photo journal thing write up of Vienna.
Plus while at Vienna zoo, the Missus noticed the battery and memory on her camera were running out fast. Luckily we noticed a tent were the nice folk at Canon were handing out free DVD recording equipment (click here for equipment details) for people to make there own zoo movies. They were also giving the actually recorded DVD away for free. Frei, as the Austrians would say.
Anyway, we are waiting to get download some software to turn the DVD to MP4, or another format, then we can show everyone all the best bits. Includng some surprises with baby animals!

But let me tell you a little about the weather. Not todays weather, its nice by the way up here.
But yesterdays weather was slightly different.
All day yesterday it had been a horrible and overcast day. Then at about 3 the sky started to get really dark. Making it look like it was evening.
Then the thunder started. Now while I've worked in this office there have been a few thunder storms.
Now normally I cant here much from the outside in here. Where I sit in the office is right next to the wall which is neighbouring Leeds train station. There is alot of trains that pass buy, but due to good building planning and insulation, there is little noise from the outside that I can actually here. If you were to step out the doors the noise is the same as any main train station. Very loud.
But last night the thunder was striking right next to work and the noise wcould clealy be head over everything else that was going on inside the building.
Then it seemed like the sky had cleared up as it was not longer dark, but grey. But on closer inspection the greyness was actually rain. The reason it wasn't so clear was the raion was moving horizontal rather then vertically.
I read that apparently 10 days worth of rain had fell during this storm.
All this bizarre extreme weather had lasted the whole of 30 minutes.
After the 30 minutes up teh storm disappeared faster then it arrived and we have had clear skies here since 4 yesterday.
It felt weird to go from almost pitch black clouds, to cloudless within an hour.

It turns out alot of damage was caused. Trees were uprooted, roofs blown off. Some people even claim to have had there cars lifted off the ground by tornados.

But here are some other reports about yesterdays weather, thanks to the BBC.
The BBC's first report.
The BBC on the clear up afterwards.
Some photos sent to the BBC. Could the first picture be the start of a tornado?

Or "How I learnt to never visit art galleries when half dead."

Well I have plenty to right about from mine the the Missus trip to Vienna. But with the Missus hard at work uploading all of the 270 photos that she took, I think I might put off my "Holiday Entry" untill all photos are online. Althoguh there will be more to come as I have three films to develope, although the last one has 4 shots left, so I have to use them up....somehow?

But here is a taster of the photos to come....
(All captions are those given by the Missus, I think she worked very hard at naming all 270 of them. Well done!)

Robbie and Kuntzhistoriches

Robbie meat sweats finished

But let me tell you a little tale about my journey home.
As I arrived in to Leeds station on the train home yesterday evening, the train stopped just outside the station for some time. A few minutes passed and the lovely voiced lady spoke over the PA system apologising for the delay, but this was "due to waiting for a platform to become available."
Now this made me think.
Train companies, I presumed, made all these plans and timetables, so they know exactly where there train will be at what point. They can arrange with stations to, I don't know, possible "pre-book" or make some sort of arrangment so that the train they know is arriving will have a platform to go to when it does arrive.
I mean it's not like a car in a parking space. I mean trains don't just happen to turn up up at stations and look around for a spot to park in.
Or at least I didn't think that is what happened up until last night.
I was half expecting the lady to come back to the PA system and annouce.
"I did spot the perfect space over by the station, right next to the entrance. But the driver said that 'it was a handicap spot,' and didnt want to park there. Even if he kep the engine running. Typical male."

Although I do have a few small questions about Vienna if anyone could answer them to their knoweldge,

Having U-Bahns (basically tube routes) numbered from U1 to U6, is there no U5?

And what is at Netroyplatz? This was the one stop we passed on every journey to and from the city to our hotel at the edge. This meant we passed it about 4 times a day, except on one occasion when we walked in to the city and got a taxi back to the hotel. But never once did we get out and have a look around there.

Right I'm off for a bit. THe long awaited, and over due, holiday is here.

Im off and I'm leaving Buffalo Rob in charge. You play by his book, or he'll run you out of town.!

Or "The man who went to a left in a plane but returned down a mountain."

So I have a few mini holidays over the next few days.

Firstly, me and the Missus will be off to Vienna on Friday. Visiting the oldest zoo is the main point. Very much looking forward to it. The weather has been amazing for the past few days. The BBC has had nothing but sun all week, a bit of a heatwave in fact and typically enough the BBC says it will rain on Friday. Nevermind. Eeeek, Speaking of which, I best let the Missus know. She won't be happy with the sudden change in weather as she has already started packing.
Of course we will return with plenty of photos of cute animals. The Missus is taking her digital camera so will be better then my shoddy grainy attemtps from back at V.

A few days after I return my dad is taking me up a mountain. Not just any mountain either.
Last year, for my holiday, I travelled with my dad and his friend across England. A two hundred plus mile trek across many mountains, feilds, gates and three National Parks.
One the third day of our walk I twisted my knee bouncing up a mountain. I had lots of enthusiasm those first few miles. The following day we were to go across Striding Edge. Striding Edge is a ridge and for those not totally sure about a ridges, its basically the spines that connect moutain peaks. Striding Edge is a very thin ridge, see the link for more details and photos. But here is my favourite photo.

Some folks walking across Striding Edge.

Speaking some friends of the Missus, they had mentioned that theyd walked along there and apparently there had been a few deaths already up that ridge this year. The BBC only has this story from a few years back.
The most attractive point about Striding Edge is the sheerness of the drops. Guides and websites will inform everyone that;
"The traverse of the edge is relatively easy in normal conditions and can be made easier by following the path that exists alongside and lower than the main ridge route. Care should be exercised when there is a high wind or ice as it is a very exposed ridge - a fall from here would be fatal."
Despite any weather conditions next weekend, my dad has said that we will be doing this.
Hopefully I'll be back with some photos.
Although they might be a bit grainy.
Thats if I make it back
(Sorry Sammy, Ill stop making it sound really bad)

I've alot of catching up to do on blog land. Mainly as I have found a new paint tool called GIMP. So I've been looking at alot of tutorials of what can be done and how to do it.
One of the fancier things I've taught myself within a few minutes is this blending technique.
If there is anyone who enjoys photoshoping, but only has paint, I highly recomend GIMP. Its got a lot of uses and fancy things, but most important it's free.

If the Missus was a cloud.

You may see many more of these from now on.
Or at least while I'm still excited to have a new toy.

I woke up this morning, I knew it must of been. It wasn't yesterday, that was a definite. Plus I had tickets to go to London today. And I got to wear my own clothes to work, thats always a huge hint.

But I wasn't too sure.
I hoped it was. I mean I was in my own clothes.

And now it's been confirmed. It is.

Glad I can help.

Just TWO days after I posted about M&Ms offering a 2 million candy piece reward, Munch's Scream has been returned.

Although the news does say that no reward was given out, maybe the the thief couldn't live with the feeling of whether he could resist teh temptation for all that candy?

Welcome back Munchs Scream!

Although one could cmoe to the conclusion that maybe Munchs Scream paintnapped itself, just for the reward.

My impression of the Scream being returned.