Personal: Food, History and Firth

Well, I managed to make my pizzas – I nipped down to my local shop to grab some cheese (I could have sworn I had some left, but oh well) – Cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella, but still 🙂 I made a quite nice Hawaiian (Ham and Pineapple) and one with sweetcorn and pineapple and they were quite filling and quite good quality – nearly up to “commercial levels” (yep, I used to work in a Pizzeria and I know how that multi-national chain prepares their pizzas). One thing that did occur to me whilst cooking them: making your own pizzas isn’t really cost effective. The two “Thin’n’Crispy” pizza bases were 75p (for them both), then I had the cheese (which worked out at around 75p for the cheese I used on the pizzas), then the can of pineapple chunks (69p), ham (used half the packet – 50p), sweetcorn (half the can – 17p): total cost for two pizzas: £2.86: Tesco are selling two Thin Crust Hawaiian pizzas (410g each) for £3.00 – just 14p more…

In other news, it seems Friday’s blogging about Tomorrow’s World has made the “mainstream news” – the “end of an era” was featured in Saturday’s “Daily Mail” newspaper and today’s Slashdot. “Richy’s Random Ramblings – Current Event News and not many flibblepenguins!”.

Oh, my parents came round today. They are going on on a short break some time in the coming week – lucky them! Well, my Dad’s exhausted (over the Christmas period he was doing 12 to 14 hour shifts everyday – including weekends) so he’s got the whole week off, and he’s decided to treat my Mum to a break. It was nice seeing them again (last time I saw my Mum was Christmas Day) and we had a good old natter – I asked how bad the snow was around their area, but like me they only had a thin covering of snow. Not enough for even the cats to take any real notice (I can still remember how our old cat used to jump up and down through a inch or so of snow one year).

Then we (my Mum and I) started talking about British history and stuff – and the conversation somehow got onto twin-tub washing machines. Don’t even ask…

Yesterday I didn’t do much. Well, apart from deciding to walk to my local McDonalds for dinner (as I wanted some exercise and I just couldn’t be bothered to cook). Got there, ordered a Chicken Nugget meal (6 nuggets, coke and fries) and then thought I’d take advantage of my Mac card where, if I ordered a Big Mac (before the 10th of January) I could get a tub of potato wedges for free. The annoying part was, when I handed over my card and said that I’d like the free wedges – the server had no idea what I was talking about. They asked some one else who told them to ask a third person. They then told them to check with the manager. Finally the manager gave the “OK” for the order to be processed. Whilst I know (and understand) how all members of staff can’t be expected to know and be aware of ever offer a chain is offering – I would expect at least the ‘front of house’ staff to be aware: but all of the staff serving (3) not being knowledgeable about it is a bit poor. The person serving me even looked at the card as if they were think “What the h–‘s this?”: even though the store had an advertisement up for the card…

I also heard back from a job I applied to at the end of last year – yep, the person I applied to was kind enough to get back to me on a Saturday by email. I’m going to reply shortly after publishing this entry, so fingers crossed… The slightly scary thing is is that they had over 50 applicants for the one job – I thought the current IT job market was “only” as bad as 10 applicant per job! Saying that – my Dad thinks 50:1 is quite good – he can remember the days of 100 applicants per vacancy.

And there’s been some more good news: arrangements for the 2003 ODP editor meet-up have already started. Last year I helped arrange (by suggesting the location and giving advice on how to get there) the meetup at the J.D.Wetherspoon‘s Briar Rose pub in Birmingham (pictures of the meetup are available). Whilst it is still too early to guess where we are going to go this year, I’m personally hoping for the South-West area (Bournemouth has already been suggested, but it’s a bit far for some of the more Northern editors to get to), but we’ll see…

Whilst checking the JD Wetherspoon’s site just then, I came across this page about their “groovy loos”. I like the bit where it states “it is not unusual to find a sofa and chairs in the ladies’ anteroom”, what do men get in their toilets? “State-of-the-art taps in the men’s”. It continues – “In Cardiff, the ladies’ toilets are the same size as the whole of some of our pubs…In Norwich…the ladies’ toilets also contain a fish tank and a water feature…” Bit of discrimination in the laboratory situation going on there I think!

Changing the subject completely (hey, I’m allowed to! 🙂 ), I’ve been having some really strange dreams lately. You know how dreams usually take place from a “third person” perspective (i.e. you see yourself in the dream), mine seem to have been from ‘my’ viewpoint. Which really spooks you out when you wake up! Last nights was particularly strange. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up…. Hang on, that wasn’t my dream – it was someone else’s! Mine are a lot more strange. A dream where I’m in a Mercedes car (not a Limo as that would be just too OTT) and I pick up my GESF and her flat mate to down the pub. I tell her not to bother with her car keys as I’ve arranged transport. I open the door and let them both in (to the back seat). I get in, and then introduce them to the passenger in the front seat who just happens to be Sir Paul McCartney MBE (who told them to just call him Paul) and the driver happens to be Colin Firth. The dream moves on (or ends and I get another dream) and I’m booking out the Hermitage Park Hotel in Coalville for a party that I’m arranging – and since it has a number of VIP’s I offer £1000 to each member if staff if the media do NOT get to know about the guests. Then my GESF and her flatmate arrive, then my sisters, then Paul and Colin (hence why I’m not sure if it was a ‘new dream’ or not) and then Graham Norton. I think even Madonna and Guy Ritchie turned up. When everyone turned up, we then went to a nightclub in Coalville (which I thought was called “Starlight”, but I can’t find any reference to it on the ‘net – it’s located next to a pub at a roundabout though).

I’ll sign off now (I’m sure I had more to ramble on about, but, alas, my random access wetware is failing me again), but I need to reply to that job email and then call my GESF.