Liberate Tutemae!

Product placement... [Flickr]

big-ashb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:12:09 PST

big-ashb posted a photo:

Cover [Flickr]

big-ashb — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:48:13 PDT

big-ashb posted a photo:

My view for the last 2 hours!

Cat eating cake [Flickr]

big-ashb — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:21:27 PDT

big-ashb posted a photo:

My cat rather liked my birthday cake!

Apple tree [Flickr]

big-ashb — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:23:14 PDT

big-ashb posted a photo:

We've got a bumper crop of apples this year!

Test [Flickr]

big-ashb — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:44:10 PDT

big-ashb posted a photo:

RIP Bobbin

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:20:34 GMT

SG1S0691, originally uploaded by purpleheather.

my sister's cat Bobbin Died yesterday.

they had been together for over 12 years and since my sister's move to the country, bobbin had been more sprightly than ever.
unfortunately though the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
bobbin was rushed to the vets in the early morning looking very unwell and the vet informed them that their only options were to prolong poor cat's suffering for 12 hours or so or to have her put to sleep. my sister opted to have bobbin put to sleep and said her goodbyes to her friend and companion.

there's a big friendly, furry, purry hole left in the world which is Bobbin shaped.

goodbye bobs,

x

all change

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:45:23 GMT

live journal has screwed me one too many times.

this blog is now in the (very slow and long winded) process of moving to Blogger

http://liberate-tutemae.blogspot.com/

New jobs

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:38:08 GMT

In the last 24 hours I've had 2 pissed pedestrians hit by motorcycles and last night i had my first heroin overdose... I know i need to get off the scag...
Seriously though, the guy was close to dead, breathing just 8 times a minute. It was the first time I've had to bag someone who was still breathing... Narcan was given and about 1 minute he was fully conscious and, as is apparently common in such cases, acting like an ungrateful tit.

Strange day

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:35:23 GMT

Well the day started ordinarily enough, bit of a lay in, always good, even more so on easter sunday.

It was mushty's birthday, so off to her house with good friends and a bottle of Jim Beam. 2 hours, several beers and some Jim later and I've reached a pleasant level of intoxication. Cue some good bbq food, good chatter and regular intake of jim to maintain a reduced level of inhibition and a good time was had. 10pm and the party's drawing to a close, my lift's going, so i grab the bottle and head home.

I've not been home long when i get a call from the landlord of my local saying that i should come to the pub for a lock in... Well that's a first, being invited to a lock in at a pub i'm not even in!
I explained i'd been drinking and couldn't drive, his reply was to get a taxi and that he'd pay for it!

So call a taxi i did and off to the pub i went.

I didn't have to put my hand in my pocket all night, and whilst i was resoundingly thrashed at darts, i still had a great time.
I'm sure that my enjoyment had nothing to do with the two (sadly fully clothed) lapdances i got from the stunning barmaid... :)

Enough koparberg to maintain my lightly sozzled state found me still there at nearly 5am while the landlord slightly worse for wear finally called it a night, or rather his legs and sense of balance did.

Now that's how to spend a bank holiday sunday!

Short shift

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:26:58 GMT

128 miles travelled, 64 miles on blues, 8 hours, 2 jobs, 1 prf

Splitting the arrow

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:21:45 GMT

A shot in a million, last night i performed robin hood's old trick of splitting the arrow - except i was playing darts...

iPhone 2009 rumors

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:38:27 GMT

2 new iPhones on the way
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/19/iphone_3_0_listings_show_four_all_new_iphone_ipod_touch_models.html

OS 3.0
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/17/iphone_os_3_0_first_impressions_and_photos.html

MMS, copy & paste, landscape keyboard + more
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/17/iphone_3_0_adds_copy_paste_mms_for_users.html

low power 802.11n wireless
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/04/04/next_ipod_touch_iphone_to_support_low_power_802_11n_mode.html

3.2mp camera with video
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/04/03/report_apples_next_iphone_to_sport_3_2_megapixel_camera.html

still no flash support or bluetooth file transfer though

Bargain hunt

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:08:50 GMT

For some reason Tesco sent me £30 in vouchers... They sent me the same when i renewed my car insurance with them, even though i got a cheaper quote and got them to match it :)

Maybe they realised that i spent the previous vouchers on groceries and felt sorry for me, or they might have just made a mistake...
Either way, i am now the proud owner of a classic batman logo t-shirt, a classic superman logo t-shirt and a new watch :)
The watch was a particular bargain, as it was mis-priced so i got a twenty quid watch for a tenner!
All that and i still had £2.22 left over to spend on groceries.

I think that was karma's way of thanking me for spending the day looking after dad and taking him shopping...

It's always nice to buy things you want,but don't need, especially when they're free :)

Failed

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:17:25 GMT

Failed my test.

2 minors (slight slip on wet ironworks and slight skid on emergency stop. ok for 1st ride in wet) and 1 major...

Part way through my U-turn a learner driver pulled away from kerb and started driving towards me. Whilst i had time to complete the turn, it put me off and i mounted the kerb...

I partly blame myself for allowing me to get distracted, but mostly i blame the BSM instructor who told his student to drive off while i'm in the middle of a maneuver...

Bike test tomorrow

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:04:51 GMT

Got my bike test tomorrow at 1.33pm

If i ride like i did today, then i should get through just fine.
Doesn't stop me being nervous though...

Oh goody

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:05:03 GMT

I don't get it... why is the death of a binge drinking bigot, who became famous for showing her 'kebab' on national tv and who proved on many occasion the apparent shortcomings of the english educational system, heralded as such a tragedy? Why does someone who's sum total of all their life's achievements could leave room to spare on the back of a postage stamp, get a public tribute from the prime minister himself? Thousands of people die every day, many of whom have led useful lives, so where's the prime minister's public tribute to each and every one of them?
I'm actually suprised that the death of jade goody was not a televised public spectacle.
I just wish that one of the national newspapers carrying the front page news of her death would have the balls to point out that this woman who has died represented much of what is currently wrong with british society.

Oh and if we take anything from the death of jade goody it should be this;
When the hospital send you a letter saying that there was an anomaly with your smear and that you should come back for a retest, don't ignore it. When they send you several letters and even call you to say the same thing every month for 2 years, don't ignore them. And when you do finally find time in your busy reality tv schedule to submit to further testing, 2 years after they told you something was wrong, don't be fucking surprised to find you you've got cancer!

New test date

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:21:43 GMT

There was a cancellation on thursday 26th, so that's my new test date.
Also the training school let me bank my last day's training, so that's on the 25th.

Test cancelled

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:09:42 GMT

I've done the CBT and 3 of the 4 full days of my direct access course. Thursday was supposed to be my test, only it's been cancelled.

The DSA are bringing this new test in towards the end of April and to in with it they have reduced their number of test centres and instead built new 'super test centres'. I'm doing my training in Farnborough which is where one of the new super test centres is located, partly because one of my friends is an instructor there and also so i can practice on the test routes.
I found out today that this super center actually only has one motorcycle examiner, and he's off sick. So all tests are cancelled this week.
With the new test coming, more people than ever are learning to ride and they've cancelled a whole week of tests. How on earth are they going to fit all those tests in before the new test deadline? If my test is now going to be after the deadline, then i will have to do extra training to pass the new test. That's more expense to me.

One day's more training/practice and I'll be ready for my test on a bike that i'll be used to. The plan was for another day of riding tomorrow, then and hour last minute on thursday before test.

Now there's going to be a gap between the course and the test. As i'm taking the test on a 500cc bike, i cannot practice without a qualified instructor, so unless i buy more training, i will have just 1 hour to remember everything I've learned and get used to the bike.

Oh, but not to worry, apparently the DSA will compensate up to half a day's pay... That'll be a normal 7.5 hour day, not my normal 12 hour day...

I'm more than a little pissed off.

CBT passed

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:26:18 GMT

Well, i passed my CBT which means i'm legally entitled to ride up to a 125 on the roads unsupervised, while displaying an L plate.

Today i had a second day of pootling round on a 125 in preparation for moving up to a 500cc bike tomorrow.

All is going well and with each road ride my confidence is increasing, so come thursday I'll hopefully be ready for my test.

classic!

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:04:49 GMT

iPhone

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:45:15 GMT

just as i’ve decided i want an iPhone and i’m now only 3 days from the end of my current contract, i get wind that Apple may be announcing a new iPhone in June, just as they did last year with the iPhone 3G…

i want one, but do i want to wait 3 months on the off chance the rumour is true? if not, do i want to be stuck with an old version of the iPhone for 18 months…

Tired

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:08:24 GMT

I had a dream last night that i slept through my alarm... That woke me up about an hour and a half before my alarm was supposed to in off. Of course that then kept me awake. Now i'm tired. Very tired.

When i'm tired, i get low. Today I'm feeling lonely. I've lots of friends and get on well with my work mates, but i have no companion. I tell myself that living with decrepit parents and having no money means i have nothing to offer... I know that's bullshit, but I am my own worst enemy. My self esteem with women is at an all time low.
I'm not a complicated man, all i really want is to know that when i get home there will be someone there i can hold and who wants to hold me.
Not necessarily a lover, just a companion would be enough. More though than a parent can offer.

when tired is the worst time to think, but it's hard not to...

Lid ordered

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:08:47 GMT

Shoei Raid 2 Strife RRP £260 ish ordered mine for £170
right place at the right time. apparently someone ordered it, then couldn't afford to pay for it. it's been gathering dust since and the shop owner wants rid of it because it's last season's design... what a shame. i'm getting it at cost price plus postage!!
it's a very good lid, here's a review (clicky)

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:46:20 GMT

i did last night and i saw that it was good!

so they finally filmed the comic book adaptation that many said they couldn't film and many more said they shouldn't film and i for one am glad they did, if only because it will bring about a renewed interest in comics.

that said, i went on the Friday night of the opening weekend to the 8pm showing and the cinema was half empty...

Watchmen won the 1988 Hugo Award for Best Novel and is in TIME Magazine's top 100 books of the 20th century. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly placed it at number 13 on its list of the best 50 novels printed in the last 25 years, describing it as "The greatest superhero story ever told and proof that comics are capable of smart, emotionally resonant narratives worthy of the label *literature*."

so what's it about?
*Watchmen* is set in an alternate reality which closely mirrors the contemporary world of the 1980s. The primary point of divergence is the presence of superheroes. Their existence in this iteration of America is
shown to have dramatically affected and altered the outcomes of real-world events such as the Vietnam War and the presidency of Richard Nixon. In keeping with the realism of the series, although the costumed crime fighters of *Watchmen* are commonly called "superheroes", the only character who possesses obvious superhuman powers is Doctor Manhattan. The existence of Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union, which has increased tensions between the two nations. Additionally, superheroes have become unpopular among the public, which has led to the passage of legislation in 1977 to outlaw them. While many of the heroes retired, Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian operate as government-sanctioned agents, and Rorschach continues to operate outside the law.

whilst some scenes were changed from the original comics/graphic novel, the casting at least was absolutely perfect and the characters spot on. although i found Dr Manhattan a little too human.

many scene's were removed for the sake of time, including the whole Tales of the Black Freighter, it's still 2 hours 43 minutes. later in the year there will be a DVD release of the animated Tales of the Black Freighter and a director's cut of the Watchmen film coming in at 3 hours 11 minutes.

my main complaint was the unnecessary changes, all of which served to make it a more graphically violent film, yet weren't changed because of time. e.g.;

- in the book, Larry (the fat guy in prison) has his throat cut. in the film he has his arms cut off with an angle grinder...
- in the book Rorschach handcuffs the child killer, gives him a saw then douses him in kerosene and torches the room, explaining that he won't cut through the cuffs in time. he leaves the burning building and there are screams from behind him. in the film Rorschach hacks the child killer's head to pieces with a very large meat cleaver...

then of course there's the big change...

no big psychic monster...
and here's (i know some may find it blasphemous) where i think the change is actually for the better! yep, that's right folks, i think the changed for movie ending is better than the original comic book ending!

also the soundtrack's pretty damn good

basically, go and see it, but read the comic book too - before or after, your choice.

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:43:59 GMT

well i settled on the KBC Tarmac Radiation and ordered it.

Then i get a phone call telling me that they don't have it in stock and it'll be about 2 months before they can get it in my size!!!
so i look elsewhere for the same lid, only to find a similar story... even from the official UK distributers!!!

so either i persevere or i find myself something else.

Dad.

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:34:11 GMT

I was right, the GP was wrong. Dad does have some degree of heart failure, probably LVF.

Dad's back in hospital.

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:18:21 GMT

Dad's back in hospital. We had the GP out last week cos his breathing's been bad since his heart attack. I said to the GP that i thought it was Left Ventricular Failure. She disagreed because his lungs were clear and there was no obvious fluid retention.

Well last night his right leg swelled to twice it's normal size with fluid, so today he's back in hospital... Just waiting to hear if my hunch is right.

Lid

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:57:35 GMT

the more i think about it the more i like these two...
(yes, i know one of them wasn't on the list yesterday...)

KBC force RR top gun £99.99

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/kbc/force-rr/

(hi-res piccie clicky)

KBC Tarmac Radiation Helmet £90

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/kbc/tarmac/

(hi-res piccie clicky)

help me choose a lid

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:29:48 GMT

ok, choosing a lid is doing my head in! my budget is £150 ish and i want to look cool, but i'm not interested in replicas (rossi, lorenzo, etc.)
my main problem is that i need an XXL or 63-64cm lid and i want a full face helmet, not a flip front or an open face helmet...

below are some that i've found and quite like, i'm sure there are more out there that i haven't found yet...

do you like any of these? do you know of another that's better? please let me know!

here's a useful thing it's the government safety standards ratings (SHARP)
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/search/results/?&sort=size_id&dir=desc

Marushin Tiger £100 SHARP rating 5*

Caberg Zonda £130 SHARP rating 5*

Shark s500 Air Samurai £115 SHARP rating 4*

Shark s650 Wings £135

KBC VR1-X TRIBAL £100 SHARP rating 3*

KBC VR1-X LIGHTENING FORCE SPECIAL EDITION £110 SHARP rating 3*

KBC Tarmac Radiation Helmet £90 SHARP rating - not rated

good youtube review;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD7cVvGl5YY

shopping

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:51:30 GMT

now to find a lid...