Bang!

Quote of the moment:
"Bang!" (with accompanying hand gestures).


Found on VideoSift

Microsoft apparently thought adults playing a kids game in public might warp fragile little minds. Teach the kids to accept being shot, maybe.

DDR in PE

Quote of the moment:
West Virginia has turned to computer games to make school children more active to help tackle its position as one of the top three US states ranked highest for obesity. - BBC News Article. That's West Virginia, legendary incest hotspot, where the 4 legged kids have a big advantage.

In an interesting reversal of the stupid southerner stereotype, West Virginia seceded from Virginia after Virginia joined the Confederate States of America. In other words, West Virginia's the "northern" one.

Talking of secession to fight for your chosen cause, the Labour party's least favourite former member has died, just under a year after winning the safest seat in Wales as an independant, of the cancer that was first diagnosed during the election campaign.

The 24 Hour Row

Quote of the moment:
"Donations for sick kids, anyone?"

The shirt only lasted 20 minutes. I was getting even more hot and sweaty than I otherwise would, although it was at least slightly overcast and not totally boiling. But one of the senior guys fetched a Gair Rhydd photographer, so I whipped it off and joined Dan in The Gun Show. Ah dear. I could be in the paper in my one piece.

I then took a bucket (and put my shirt back on) and went to shake it on the other side of the road. I was getting a good 2 donations a minute for the 1 hour 40 odd minutes I was there, so hopefully 200 quid, including two fivers and several "let me empty my change in" people. My persuasive skills, honed on hundreds of missed deadlines, were put to good use for once. I then went to a lecture, fell asleep halfway through and woke up at the end with a paralysed bum.

Expect the Unexpected

Quote of the moment:
Oh the clothes that you wore looked a million dollars,
But the body beneath, it looked just like Rick Waller’s.

- Amateur Transplants, Nothing at All.

Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party has finally learned the lesson of the kulaks and the collective farms and invited white farmers to return to running Zimbabwean farms - BBC News Article.

Training camp's over - frabjous day, etc. Tomorrow is the culmination of the 24 hour rowing fundraising saga - postponed, cancelled and now suddenly resurrected as an indoor row - except outside. Two people per hour for 12 hours are sitting on rowing machines by the steps up to the union, looking like idiots, presumambly with collection buckets nearby. Being paid to cover up the lycra is the most likely payout, methinks. I'm planning to at least wear a rowing squad shirt over the top of my lycra, contrary to the "all-in-ones only" instruction from Pest.

Bounce

Quote of the moment:
"And to end on a high note.. Check this." - the filthy minded April Lu.

I'm expecting a drinking ban next week, as there was for each previous race, so being led astray by an evil and malicious neighbour tonight was entirely excusable. Smacking Steve's drink onto the floor on the other hand was obviously entirely the fault of said neighbour. Shocking behaviour on her part, really.

In other news, I'm sunburnt from the two days of relatively cloudless warmth we've just had. From past experience I should be a nice "unwashed tramp" shade of brown by the end of the week.

News Team, Assemble!

Quote of the moment:
"Taxi drivers will begin giving out free condoms in a bid to reduce the number of sexually transmitted infections. More than 5,000 free condoms in "discreet" envelopes have been given to drivers from Dragon Taxis in Cardiff." - BBC News Article. What about free sickbags?


New photos are up on my MSN Space, of Monopoly and the field trip. In other even more revolutionary news, I've finally seen Anchorman and know why guns has been accepted into the general vernacular. In other other news, I ventured into the pallet-rowed still-boxed emporium that is Lidl for the first time today and emerged with a foot of 2 inch thick german sausage.

Octogenarian Oligarch

Quote of the moment:
"The Queen sent her first email in 1976 from an Army base."

- From the Queen's 80th birthday factlist. I wish her a happy birthday and eagerly await the Prince of Wales' blog.

Today was the first day of "rowing camp". The introductory 2k ergo test was a joyous experience. My supposed target of 6:45 (most people were about 10 seconds off theirs after relaxing in the holidays) required an average split time (time it would take to go 500m at that pace, measured at every stroke) of 1:41.67, or 1:42 plus faster start and finish. Pumped up with adrenalin I "took off like a demented rocket" (- Pest) and hit 1:21 within 4 strokes. My previous fastest split was 1:29. I then settled to 1.24 for the first hundred, at which point Todd started yelling "SLOW DOWN!" in my ear, at which I progressed gradually down to 1:34. By 1k I was pulling a solid 1:40, but fairly simultaneously developed a stitch, cramp all the way up my left leg and a flashing-light kind of headache. Oops. Slightly over-ambitious. I ended up doing a psuedo-'Cool Runnings' limp to the finish in 7:22. Major oops.

The afternoon's outing was rather more positive, at least for me. It was much delayed by the senior men’s eight ("the Sims") missing a seat and the senior women’s then being tested for watertightness and found to be leaking from crash damage from last term, but eventually two fours took to the water. As the boat of second eight guys, myself included, flashed past the boat of first eight guys, they were told to look at our superb balance. Yay for us. They then turned around and tried to start off again, but due to an over-enthusiastic first drive and complete lack of balance, they capsized. No yays emitted from Pest, who was coxing them.

The best part of the day, however, came in the pub later when Pest told us that not only are we racing on the first day of the 3 day BUSA Regatta in Nottingham (Saturday, April 29th) and thus able to take advantage of the Pimm's tent while encouraging les autres, but since only the two novice men’s crews are racing on Saturday we get to use the two spanky boats. In the BUSA head we used the bath-tub and were a minute slower than the first eight in the Sims, but when we did a time trial in the run-up to it in the Sims, we were only 6 seconds slower than them. A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality.

J'adore le Flixster

Quote of the moment:
"Ratings: 831"

Damn it for keeping me up til now.

How Fast Can You Run?

Quote of the moment:
"How fast can you run?
As fast as a leopard.
How fast are you going to run?
As fast as a leopard."

- From Gallipoli, in which Mel Gibson earned his Brit-bashing spurs.

Some vital new research shows that gamers perform better when they've slept well. Jim, take note.

Karma

Quotes of the moment:

• A Palestinian suicide bomber has killed nine people along with himself and injured about 50 more in Tel Aviv. The bombing, which came during the festival of Passover, was the first suicide attack in Israel since January. - BBC News article.
  


• Since the start of April, Israeli forces say they have fired more than 2,000 artillery shells into the northern Gaza Strip. - BBC News article.
  

Make of that what you will. As for me, I'm off to Cardiff tomorrow, or "home" as I called it yesterday. Am back up in what used to be home now, in Essex, rounding up my junk to take back with me. A mere two weeks holiday - woe is me indeed. On the plus side, I got confirmation in the post today that I got a place 'in halls' next year, after the disaster that was me house-hunting. It's not really halls as such though, because I opted for the uni-owned houses which are a good mile closer to everything than Uni Hall or Allensbank House. Tis like going in a spare room in a house except the others don't know each other.

Bar Steward

Quote of the moment:
Once again I emphasize the importance of that first ergo test on the Thursday. Do not let yourself down.
Lawrie, Jon, Phil I want to see sub 6:30,
Alex, Biff, Rob, Felix I want you to crack into the 6:30's,
Nick, Dan, Bill, Ryan I'm looking for you to push for 6:40,
Will its time i saw 6:45
From Todd, Nick Parker, Harry, Joe prove to me you are in the 6:50's.

If you are heavy show me how u can use your weight, if u are light show me what power you can offer.

Be inspired to beat those in your group and be inspired to push yourself beyond your group and into another.

Er... good one. I haven't got a group. Quite apart from the guys who couldn't make it and so aren't on the list, the ones in the group above me are scrapping to be in the 1st boat and the group below me are scrapping not to be out of the 2nd boat. Except that I'm pretty sure I'm in that group and I haven't done under 7 minutes for a 2k yet (not that I've done a test one in months). Somewhere in the 6.50's I could do, but 6.45 is just cruel. I may have to return to Cardiff even earlier than the start of the "training camp" on Thursday so I've at least partially recovered from being over-fed and under-exercised for 3 weeks.

On the plus side, I've joined Flixter and it's amazingly distractingly fun (for me, at least).

Fight For Your Right

Quote of the moment:
"...and the boys came rushing up to "protect" us, because they'd had a fight with the local kids and someone had headbutted Dougie..." - Frances Steel, daughter of Wellesley's headmaster, recounts why the pupils now wear civvies to go into town on Sunday. Yes, tis indeed the same Dougie.

Will, her younger brother, had a joint birthday party with another ex-pupil who's also at King's Canterbury, and I therefore spent most of last night trying to persuade drunk and randy sixth-formers that they wanted to go back down to the hall and not be debauched in the dormitories. Shocking behaviour, what-what?

Since the TV aerial got blown awry last night, tonight's viewing is limited to the Junior House video selection. That's currently being represented by Jason Isaacs, proving his Best British Baddie credentials yet again as a superbly malevolent yet vunerable Hook in Peter Pan.

Sass

Quote of the moment:
"Look at this? I am ons the internets sneakily. Bob been giving me sass and I not put up for that evers." - Weebl's blog.

Pop quiz, hot-shot.

P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.

Name that film.

You Know You're Too Into Lost When...

...You see a parrot flying along the side of the sports pitches in Kent.

Apparently, though, there's a parakeet colony nearby in Ramsgate. I bet they're homesick and pining for the fjords.

Kent-ward Ho

Quote of the moment:
"why the hell are you writing in irish will?" - My dear sister. The small one, that is.

Life, why you mock me? Why my H key?

In other news, I'm now in Kent which is amazingly soggy for somewhere with a hosepipe ban. It's all about the aquifers though. My degree has finally started to become useful: I can act superior to my mother about aquifers. Hurrah for that.

Band of Brothers

Quote of the moment:
Damian Lewis .... Maj. Richard D. Winters - Warriors, The Forsyte Saga
Donnie Wahlberg .... 2nd Lt. C. Carwood Lipton - Saw II, Sixth Sense
Ron Livingston .... Capt. Lewis Nixon - Office Space, Sex and the City
Matthew Settle .... Capt. Ronald Speirs - Into the West
Scott Grimes .... TSgt. Donald Malarkey - ER, American Dad
Eion Bailey .... Pvt. David Kenyon Webster - ER, Fight Club
Dexter Fletcher .... SSgt. John Martin - Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
David Schwimmer .... Capt. Herbert Sobel - Friends, Madagascar
Marc Warren .... Pvt. Albert Blithe - Hustle
Peter Youngblood Hills .... SSgt. Darrel 'Shifty' Powers - The Beach
Nicholas Aaron .... Pvt. Robert 'Popeye' Wynn - Touching the Void
Colin Hanks .... 2nd Lt. Henry Jones - King Kong (son of Tom)
Tom Hardy .... Pfc. John Janovec - Black Hawk Down
James McAvoy .... Pvt. James Miller - Narnia, Shameless, Inside I'm Dancing
Stephen Graham .... Sgt. Myron 'Mike' Ranney - Gangs of New York
Simon Pegg .... 1st Sgt. William Evans - Shaun of the Dead, Spaced
Jamie Bamber .... 2nd Lt. Jack Foley - Hornblower
Jimmy Fallon .... 2nd Lt. George Rice - Saturday Night Live

An annotated selection from the cast list of Band of Brothers. Top stuff, what what? Nuts to Lost. That (the first 3 episodes of) was tonights viewing, after A Series of Unfortunate Events which I got Tori for her birthday, along with Porky's and Garden State. Also most excellent. I think I have the Count Olaf look down:

Hot Today Is...

Quote of the moment:
9 minutes 59 seconds - My new 1.5 mile time, as of this evening. It was 11.09 in September. Not bad considering the last fortnight was a week of drinking followed by a week of eating. Also hot today is...


Elaine Cassidy

As seen in Disco Pigs, The Lost World, The Others and as Ken Stott's niece in My Uncle Adolf. Currently on TV in The Ghost Squad. Tis not so much the face as the voice. For a kinaesthetic I'm peculiarly susceptible to voices.

Best British Baddie Ever

Quote of the moment:

"This is a uniformed dispatch rider carrying a marked case. He cannot be held as a spy."

"We're not going to hold him. We're going to hang him."

Guess what I watched tonight?!

For a Goody Vote Woody

Quote of the moment:
"Counting began and ended today for the position of AU President. The results were as follows:
...
1st: James Woodruff"

This is the guy who asked how much a new rowing eight boat would cost (circa £2500 2nd hand), then asked how many we wanted. Hurrah for him.

Today saw the end of my 3-day Dark Materials marathon, me being let loose on my unwise grandpa's hedge with a hedgetrimmer and most monumentally, me getting a new phone (numbers please).



Oh, and happy birthday Prill :D

Wash Away Sir Ian Blair, Kthanx

Quote of the moment:
I got troubles oh, but not today
Cause they're gonna wash away
They're gonna wash away

And I have sins Lord, but not today
Cause they're gonna wash away
They're gonna wash away

And I had friends oh, but not today
Cause they're done washed away
They're done washed away

And oh, I've been cryin'
And oh, I've been cryin'
And oh, no more cryin'
No, no more cryin' here

We get along Lord, but not today
Cause we gonna wash away
We gonna wash away

And I got troubles oh, but not today
Cause they gonna wash away
This old heart gonna take them away

- Wash Away by Joe Purdy, from the end of today's E4 re-run of Lost.

Random mini-rant, sparked by seeing it still going on yesterday: Sir Ian Blair's comments on how media coverage varies with the ethnicity of the victim and the ensuing debate: Cobblers. Media coverage varies with the wealth/fame/attractiveness of the victim, as it does with anyone not considered a victim. Thus, to use his examples, the rich white banker and the poor asian shop owner got different amounts of coverage for their respective murders because of much money they had. Nicholas van Hoogenstraten having an Asian rival property magnate killed: big coverage: the victim was rich AND so was the killer. Ricky Gervais and the identity fraud: he's famous. Similarly Jade Goody "forgetting to pay" for some George cardigan in Asda: wouldn't make national newspapers unless she was famous. Just to round things out, on the attractiveness side of things, there's "cokehead Kate" Moss who fills all three requirements for coverage and therefore made the front page.

When come back, bring non-politically-correct-full-fat-GM-pork-filled-made-in-Leicester-not-Melton-Mowbray PIE.

P.S. On the topic of getting washed away, Cambridge did exactly that in the Boat Race.

Shopping Without Photos

Quote of the moment:
"Fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists" - David Campbell on UKIP.

Lucky you. Due to the lack of a connector cable, I didn't bother taking photos of my shopping. It was more interesting but less extreme than the 90 litre backpack of shopping. Two pairs of Nike trainers and two pairs of trousers (jeans and cords). One pair of blue/silver chunky trainers to replace my wrecked sports ones and one thin lightweight pair for dossing around, as a contrast to my beefy Vans. New trousers were needed because even the ones from September need roping in around the waist now. Hurrah for that.

Mmmkay?

Quote of the moment:


Postsecret won "weblog of the year" at the 2006 bloggies. Hurrah for that. Also hurrah for the countryside. Didn't realise how much I missed it til I went on the fieldtrip last week. More on that later, when I work out how to publish pictures without the connecter lead for my camera/get back to uni where I left it.

For now (and probably most excitingly), the highlight of the week was Tuesday night, when ten of us hit the emptiness of central Shrewsbury. Apparently we got surrounded by police when we left after we were threatened by a solitary sufferer of short-man syndrome. My memory stops, however, before my videoed Travolta impressions, bluetoothed around next day, which were only eclipsed by my group-mate and (so he said the next day) drinking partner/competitor Gareth. While I was slumped on the common room floor pretending to be a starfish (again, apparently), he wandered into the canteen kitchen looking for some food. Since the only storage unlocked was the freezer he started trying to cook, then wandered off to bed leaving about 50 sausages to gently char, somehow not setting off the fire alarm. That's not all though: wearin boots out in the first place was a dodgy enough decision, but obeying the "remove boots here" sign and leaving them just inside the door of the kitchen deserves a round of applause.