I saw the above title in a blog post and it got me wondering: why do some people use asterisks when writing ‘rude’ words?
Is the writer concerned that the reader might be so delicate, so sensitive, that actually seeing the offensive word in full would cause them to faint? Or maybe spontaneously explode?
And are we [...]

You find me in Manchester for a second week. Same job. Same hotel. Same room. Same noisy fucking airplanes.  Not much to blog about, then.
So, texting (he said, going off at a tangent): I hate it.
Well, that’s not strictly true.  I’m not a big fan: I prefer to call people usually and actually talk to [...]

The wife’s car got broken into during the night.
Somebody smashed the side window, emptied the glove box and had a good ol’ rummage amongst all the crap on the seats (Mrs M doesn’t keep the tidiest of vehicles - I often refer to her car as the new Vauxhall Corsa Landfill).
So, what did they get [...]

Another thing that has come to annoy me over the past weeks, as regards staying in hotels, is that they never have a bog brush in the bathroom.
Now, I don’t know about you, but if I make a mess, I like to clean up after myself. I know the chambermaid probably thinks nothing of it, [...]

The maid who cleans my room is starting to annoy me now.
As I sleep in till quite late, sometimes my room doesn’t get serviced for several days.  As such, I make a special effort to keep the room tidy and clean… though I consider myself to be a fairly tidy person, anyway.
But over the last [...]

Well, summer now seems to be most definitely upon us.
I’m not a fan of the heat, but it’s certainly nice to be able to walk around in just a T-shirt and shorts… especially as I have such nice legs.
But, at the same time, I miss my big winter coat. Why? Because it has huge pockets, [...]

Stories like this are thankfully rare, but they never fail to sadden and shock me.
Sadly, such atrocities seem to be on the rise.  It seems that every couple of weeks, I read about just such a thing… or something in a similar vein.
Stories of children suffering were always upsetting, but they’ve never affected me like [...]

Further to my post a few days back:
A chap at work managed to rejuvinate my battery. I should probably still get a new one, but this one will do, in order for me to get the bike running and up to the MOT station.
I fitted it yesterday and started the bike. All well and good.
Checked [...]

My journey home from Lewisham today, was a nightmare.
An accident in the Blackwall Tunnel left me sitting in three lanes of stationary traffic. I sat there - not moving - for about ten minutes then pulled out and went down a sliproad.  I had no idea of where I was going but anything was better [...]

I was pleased to read this yesterday.
I absolutely detest smoking. Always have. I hate it so much, I even dislike No Smoking signs, because they have a picture of a cigarette on them.
And I don’t like the word ‘cigarette’. I always use the shorter, slightly more derogatory sounding name of ‘fag’, because it sounds more [...]

Once again the snow is coming down and once again the country is grinding to a halt.
I’ve been working from home this last week or so, but decided to go into the office this morning as I’m starting to go a bit stir crazy being shut up indoors all the time.
The roads were a little [...]

OK, so it’s not the best snowman in the world. I’m not the creative type and that took me bloody ages to build. Especially with the kids hampering helping me.
Last night was officially the coldest night in the UK since 10,000 BC. When I came down this morning, it felt decidedly nippy in the [...]

I’m working from home today. Because I can.
We have four, maybe five, feet of snow outside and I can’t see the point of struggling on the roads for several hours, just so I can get to the office to do some spreadsheets. I can log in and do them from home. Much more sensible.
In other [...]

“Got the price of a cup of tea, guv?” is a question oft asked of me, as I’ve walked the streets of London… or sometimes even in my own town.
“Yes, I have, thank you very much. You would too if you got off your lazy backside and went out and got yourself a job, like [...]

My car broke.
It developed a serious gearbox problem and when I took it to a gearbox specialist, the price quoted was just economically unviable.
And so I’ve bought a new one. Well, a new second-hand one. New cars devalue at such a rate, I’ve never wanted to buy brand new.
Anyway, having scoured the internets, looking at [...]

Peterborough. Leicester. Nottingham. Leamington Spa. Colchester. Ipswich. Cambridge.
Become a contractor and see the world! Well, East Anglia, maybe.
I’ve neglected to mention here that I have a new job. I started last week. Still contracting my services out, but no longer on telephony. I’m now back working in telly… or to be more precise: Video On [...]

There are some adverts about at the moment on the subject of car litter… or to be more precise: litter dropped from cars.
This is something I regularly see as I drive around: crisp packets and sweet wrappers being nonchalantly thrown out of car windows, because the owners can’t be bothered to carry their litter home [...]

“I wanted to be able to represent normal, everyday stay-at-home mums who aren’t normally a feature of major artworks.” says Rachel, 35, from Lincolnshire, talking about her role as the first person to step onto Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth in Anthony Gormley’s attempt to create a “living portrait of the UK”.
Well, sorry, Rachel, but you’re [...]

I mentioned a short while ago, how annoyed I get when I receive emails from friends and family asking me to add my name to an email petition and to then forward it on to all my other friends and family.
I received just such a mail this morning.  I read it and binned it, without [...]

Like everyone else in the world who has an email address, I receive a certain amount of spam. Not a great deal, it has to be said, as I have filters in place to dispose of such things, but still a few manage to get through. A couple of taps on the Delete key though, [...]

“Oh, will you shut the fuck up, for cris’sakes!”
That’s me. Shouting at the car radio. As I reach for the off button. Yet again.
My radio listening tastes are somewhat narrow, it has to be said. I tend to eschew all national radio stations, for the most part, though Classic FM sometimes gets a good airing [...]

I guess I’m fortunate in that I don’t suffer from the man-made malady of Road Rage. Cars can (and do) cut me up; pull out in front of me and force me to swerve and the worst they’ll get from me is a raised eyebrow and a tut. I like to give the benefit of [...]

A golf cart has a top speed of… what… 12 to 15 MPH?
As far as I’m aware golf carts have no licence to be used on public roads.
And yet, apparently, it is OK to drive one on the A40, in the morning, during the peak traffic period, as long as your mate drives behind you [...]

…well, what counts for normal round here, anyway.
Last week, my car interior was kept gloriously tidy all week. The house was also tidy and quiet. The motorways were a joy to drive on - my normal two-hour journey only taking half as long.
But this week, the kids are back from holiday and back at school. [...]

There is a communal fridge in our kitchen area, here in the office.
There is an unwritten rule regarding this fridge: you DON’T touch other people’s stuff. And that rule seems to be generally abided by - although I’ve occasionally noticed my own milk stocks decreasing quicker than they should over the course of a week. [...]

I’m gonna talk about the weather again. Because I’m British.
Once again, I got in this morning with no problems. A couple of minor accidents slowed me down, but not much.
People just need to drive a bit slower in these conditions; can’t they understand that?
Driving down the main Hemel dual carriageway this morning, toward the Magic [...]

I was round my sister’s house yesterday, installing an aerial for my niece’s new telly.
When I’d finished, I flopped on to the sofa, feeling exhausted. It hadn’t been particularly hard work, so I assumed it to be just general tiredness left over from the lack of sleep over Xmas and New Year. My eyes felt [...]

I’ve mentioned on here before that my daughter has naturally curly hair and that it can be a pain in the arse to keep it under control.
Various shampoos and conditioners are available for making curly hair more manageable and for keeping “frizz” at bay and the missus has spent a small fortune in trying them [...]