Koops is calmer now - Hooray

Koopa def seems so much calmer now that we can take him out for walks. I've been taking him out a couple of times a day for 20 minutes at a time and he just kips for a few hours after we get back and even after he wakes up he seems less inclined to run around like a complete maniac. Also, he met Suf and Jen's dog Lucy on both Saturday and Sunday and they were playing together and that really knackered him out as well.

The budgies are loving their new toys and all the branches that we've put in their cage instead of normal perches. They keep hopping from one to another. Its quite comical!

Can you believe United got Liverpool in the 5th round of the F.A. Cup. What a shitter but hopefully we'll beat them the same way we did a few weeks ago.

Right, I'm off to play on the 360 and see if I can get better at PGR.

Listening to: Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X
Back: Pretty good

United are in the donkey cup final

United beat Blackburn on Wednesday night to make it into the donkey cup final. It wasn't a convincing win but I thought we shaded it. Bring on Wigan. Hopefully United will do a better job against them than Arsenal did ;-)

Well, we took the dog to the vets last night for his second jab and she said that seeing as he's not exactly a puppy and had already come into contact with other dogs at the rescue centre that he was allowed out straight away rather than having to wait for a week. Thank feck for that. I've taken him on a couple of walks today and we're gonna take him out again in about an hour after Deb is home from work. He already seems a bit calmer!

No big plans for the weekend. Gonna go food shopping either tonight or tomorrow morning and take the dog on the park one day. We got some new branch perch things and toys for the budgies so we're gonna rearrange their cage as well but other than that we both want a lazy weekend.

Almost forgot, United play Wolves on Sunday so thats one thing I'm def gonna do.

Listening to: Nine Black Alps - Everything Is

Back: Pretty good

NBA Live 06 looks shit hot on the 360

Played the NBA Live 06 demo last night on the Xbox 360 and all I can say is wow. When it zooms in on players for throw ins and free throws it looks like a good computer game but during normal game play there are times when it looks real. It plays pretty damn good as well!

I'm in the office today and the fat polish fuck is being so annoying. He seems to find it impossible to let people have a conversation without him having to but in and he's always done something before and knows the best way to do it. If you've been for one shit then he's been for two. I was thinking of referring to him as "2 shits" from now on but I think I'll stick with dickhead ;-)

Well Wigan did one over Arsenal last night so as long as United beat Blackburn tonight I'll be happy.

Listening to: Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
Back: Pretty good

Painful scan and cool 360 downloads

Had a scan on my water works today cos they don't work properly sometimes when my back is really bad. They did it by injecting a contrast dye in which shows up on x-rays. What fun that was! I had an alergic reaction to the cleaning solution they used meaning that my bits were burning like hell. I've got a follow up for that on the 8th of Feb and I've got my MRI on the 3rd of Feb.

To make me feel better I brought my 360 upstairs so I could hook it up to the network and see what Xbox live was all about. So far I've downloaded demos for Fight Night 3, Madden 06 and NBA Live 06 is downloading as I write. Fight Night looks the bomb but I haven't seen the other 2 yet. As soon as the price becomes reasonable I'll by a wireless adapter for it but until then I'm gonna get a really long ethernet cable that I have out of the attic and run it down the stairs when I want to go online.

Well, hopefully Wigan will beat Arsenal in the donkey cup tonight and United will beat Blackburn tomorrow night. A final against Wigan rather than Arsenal would be good assuming we get there!

Listening to: Alien Ant Farm - ANThology
Back: Sore as hell yesterday after a 7 hour meeting and pretty sore today

Dogs are hard work but I got a 360

Damn its hard working owning a dog to start with. All our friends with dogs assure us that it gets easier but its so draining having to watch Koopa's every move and ignore him when he's bad and then train him and so on.

On the plus side, Deb agreed that seeing as she got a dog I could use our joint money to get an Xbox 360. So I did and damn is it cool! I've only had it a couple of days (hence no blogging ;-) and haven't hooked it up to the Internet yet to see what thats like but first impressions with the games I've got are that it is really good. I got Fifa, Project Gotham Racing and Kameo and the graphics are all shit hot in them but equally the gameplay is good as well.

Well, unfortunatly I'm not going to be playing on it for a few hours cos I have to translate part of our Content Delivery system into Spanish for a proposal that needs to be sent tomorrow. I will be watching United take on the scouse scum later though. Hopefully it won't be as bad as when we lost to shitty last weekend.

Listening to: Puddle Of Mudd - Come Clean
Back: Ok this morning but was really shit when we were out up town last night

Quacks suck as do United

Went to the quacks on Friday morning and he says that I have a trapped nerve probably in my upper back and possibly in my neck. He says there is nothing that can be done and it would seem that I am just one of the unfortunate people that has problems with trapping/pinching nerves. What a crock of shit!

Watched United get beat by Shitty on Saturday and what a crap game United had. I don't know what is with them at the moment but they have lost the consistency they used to have. I think Fergie has stayed on too long and he should have retired when he said he was gonna a few years ago.

Had a pretty lazy day yesterday. Printed some dog training stuff out (till the printer ran out of ink that is), went to the pet shop and got him a dental chew thing and some stuff to remove the smell of sick from Punto Car. Deb then went to the pictures with some friends and I got caned and watched Black Hawk Down.

Back to the grind today having to work on translating a system into Spanish and that is gonna be a ballache.

Listening to: Veruca Salt - American Thighs
Back: Pretty good. Trapped nerve in back/neck is making my should and arm hurt like a bitch though

Pain sucks ass

Well, I'm in the office today cos I thought I'd better show my face after not coming in for a week and a half and my back is hurting like a bitch. Its further up than normal and I have pains in my neck and down my right arm. The physio at the hospital said she thinks its a trapped nerve in my upper back but hopes it isn't another slipped disc. The stupid thing is that she can't treat me for it because I wasn't referred to her with this problem so I'm seeing my quack tomorrow morning to get him to refer me back to the physio. How stupid is this NHS system!

I'm only gonna stay in work long enough to show off what I've been working on so that people think I'm actually doing something and then I'm going home for a nice hot bath to see if it helps my back.

The dog is doing well by the way.

Listening to: The dulcent tones of people in the office ;-)
Back: Shite

The dog is here

Well, we got the dog yesterday evening and I'm now knackered. I didn't realise how much hassle it would be but I'm told that its only while he gets settled in and house trained and after that it should become a better experience. The one thing I am annoyed with is that I'm the one doing all the work while the Deb is out at work and then out for tea with her mates and its her dog! Nay mind.

Oh, and we've called him Koopa as in Koopa Trooper of Nintendo's Mario games. Same reason the budgies are called Yoshi and Daisy ;-)

Other than the dog I've not much to report. I'm looking forward to kicking back and doing sweet f.a. tonight but whether that will end up happening is anyone's guess.

Come on Wigan, beat Arsenal so we see you in the final of the donkey cup.

Listening to: Tori Amos - Under The Pink
Back: Pretty good

We're getting a dog

I've known Deb since I was 17 which is to say 12 years. We've lived together since we were 21 and since this time she has wanted to get a dog. Well, I've finally given in because the pressure has been getting too great due to the fact that our mates Suf and Jen got their own house about a year ago and the first thing they did was get a dog.

Its not that I don't like dogs its the fact that I've never really wanted to have to look after one and also the fact that we have 2 budgies and I don't want them to have any less attention from us because we get a dog. However, I gave in the other day because Deb was under the impression that we'd get one in a few years when this changed or when we got a bigger house or when something else changed and that was never the case. My feelings on getting a dog were going to be the same no matter what size house we had or how much spare money we had etc and so I decided it wasn't fair to keep saying no but there are rules. Essentially the dog we get is going to be Deb's dog and she has to look after it etc and I will take it for most of its walks cos I go walking to help my back anyway.

So this was decided a few days ago and since then we've been trying to decide what type of dog to get and whether it should be from a rescue centre or from a breeder. We decided it would be better to get one from a rescue centre and that we wanted one that was between one and two years old and medium size. We found a whippet cross (what the cross is no one knows) yesterday and we are having a home check done tomorrow to make sure the house and garden are suitable. Fingers crossed we should get him next weekend. He's about one year old, underfed unfortunately and hasn't been micro chipped or had any vaccinations yet but he seems a really nice dog from what you can tell in a rescue centre environment.

Deb is really looking forward to getting him and I'm kind of not bothered but I bet after a few days of having him I'll be wondering why we never got one earlier ;-)

Right, time for lunch (bit late but never mind) and then I'm off to watch United against Burton Albion in the 3rd round of the FA cup.

Listening to: Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
Back: Not too bad

Bastard Chelsea & Other Stuff

Unless Chelsea suffer a major footballing screw up then United have got no chance of winning the league after last night's draw with Arsenal. I read a few match reports on the t'internet today and they all suggested that it was an open game with end to end action. Sometimes I think that sports writers don't even watch what they are meant to be reporting on cos me and my mates thought this match was boring as hell and there was hardly any goal mouth action until the last 15 minutes and thats coming from 2 United fans and a scouse supporting scum bag.

My manager has finally learnt how to use Skype after going on about it for months. We have customers in Holland and Luxembourg and I tend to talk to them using Skype and I told my manager about it and he just has to make a mountain out of a mole hill about these things when trying to set up and use them. Considering he is the Engineering Department manager for the company he really is a bit backwards when it comes to technology!

I am currently drinking a home-made smoothy that Deb makes for us every day. Sometimes I make them but we are talking once a month here if that and I really should make them more often to even things out but never mind ;-) Anyhoo, today's is a pineapple, mango and passion fruit which is pretty much my favourite.

I'm making spag bol for tea - woo hoo!

Listening to: Reef - Replenish
Back: Bit sore but not too bad

Come on you reds!

Firstly, Jamie Oliver sucks ass cos his chilli receipe needed sun dried tomatoes and I forgot to buy some when we went shopping so I didn't actually make the chilli last night. It is good when you have all the ingredients though ;-)

Its been an ok first day back in work. Quite a few people are still on holiday so it was a bit boring. There is one guy at work that I really cannot stand so it was just my luck that he was in to annoy me. Nay mind, I just stick my MP3 player on and ignore him.

I'm off to my mate Suf's house to watch the Arsenal Vs Man Utd match in a few minutes. It should be quality and I'm predicting a 2 - nil win to United although a win by any score will do. Also, I've got rid of all my Arsenal players from my fantasy football team cos they've been shite recently.

Come on you reds!

Listening to: The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
Back: Not bad for my first day back in the office

Shopping, laziness and a sore back

Aaagh. My back has been annoying the hell out of me today. I think its cos I went into town shopping this morning and all the bending forward looking at things on shelves has aggrevated it. Never mind though cos I spent some of my Christmas money in the sales on some new DVDs and a Kodak EasyShare digital camera. I've only had a quick play with it but I have to say that I'm well impressed with the picture quality. The rest of the day has been a lazy affair so far. I've mainly been lying on the sofa watching bank holiday TV.

Well, back in work tomorrow and I'm gonna start the New Year by actually going into the office. I usually work 3 days a week from home which is really good cos driving can be one of the main things that makes my back worse. I'm quite looking forward to it cos this year is hopefully gonna be the big one for the company and I've got some really interesting work lined up.

Righty then, enough of my laziness, I'm off to make some Jamie Oliver chilli. I make it with Quorn mince instead of real cow cos Deb is a vegetarian and I think it tastes just as good once its gots all the spices etc on it anyway.

Ta ra!

Listening to: Vex Red - Start With A Strong And Persistent Desire
Back: Crappy cos it's been nigglingly sore all day

Usual New Year antics

Well, New Years Eve was a let down as usual. The problem, as I'm sure everyone knows, is that parties start too early meaning that everyone is wasted/caned well before midnight. Half the people at the party are passed out by the time the New Year rolls in and the other half give their best shot at the occasion when all they really want to do is go home to bed. That said, it was a damn good party running up to midnight !!!

So, its time for all the resolutions to be made and all that crap. I do have a few ideas for resolutions but nothing concrete. I'm gonna have to spend the day thinking about it me thinks ;-)

At least the weather has brightened up for the start of the year. I still wouldn't go out without a hat and gloves but the sun is shining and the ground isn't frozen anymore.

Lets hope the year is a good one.

Listening to: Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze
Back: Pretty good this morning especially as I fell asleep caned on the sofa when I got in ;-)