Advent: Dec 2nd

This morning was a good morning. I awoke to see a slight sprinkling of snow, not enough to keep me from work however. I don't think theres enough snow in the world that would let me stay away from work. So showered i ventured out into the cold. Which was as bitter as the day before and I'm sure will be the same tomorrow morning.

The day at work didn't go too bad, had some nice customers which meant chatting about useless things like the weather, binoculars and such stuffs.

Had a discussion regarding Tea. I don't think enough people drink tea these days. I mean its great. It can be an aphrodisiac, decrease blood pressure, cure cancer (loosely) and tastes great. So how bout you try a cuppa?

What else, well today we had to shut at 8pm (got out early) but as of next week we will be open till 8pm Thursdays and 7pm Saturdays, which i suppose is OK for the Christmas rush and all that. Cycled over to my friends as he was going to lend me a phone due to my current one being repaired (See previous Advent) but it was Sim locked to Vodafone. So I'm still using my brothers old Nokia, which i got him a few years ago. Pretty good phone and i kind of miss having a phone that's handheld and fits in my pocket. When i hold the Dell Streak its like holding a tablet. Which is fine, i don't make phone calls that much so i don't need a brick by the side of my head. I can imagine in the summer having that by the side of my face will result in me looking like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Alas i cant begrudge my phone, i love it really just you know, "Grass is always greener".
Spent the afternoon playing Battlefield 1943 on the Xbox and after a few annoying games we decided to piss around. Firstly just being snipers and holding a base that wasn't essential, then making suicide jeeps by planting C4 on them and driving into a tank. Ahh good times.

Cycled home and it was pretty cold out, as usual. But got home to be greeted by cold pizza and Dr Pepper. Yeah i lead a great lifestyle. Tomorrow is PAYDAY which i cant wait for. I really cant. Haven't had money for ages and thus not been able to go out and have a good time. Plus tomorrow is all you can eat Chinese for my friends birthday and drinks. So hopefully ill be out and about in the Turtle.

If not then theres always Saturday, or Sunday. I'm not fussed. Oooh and huzzah for aliens. Nasa have said that they have not only realised that the universe is 3 times larger than previously thought but also they have found life in Arsenic. Which is pretty cool as life can survive on other planets that might not be hospitable to us.

And on that otherworldly note. Its time for bed.

Phileas Fogg has nothing on us.

Watch this space.

No pun intended.

Tales of a drunkard Pt 5

The outdoors. Tranquil; Clean; Calming. And now forever marked with our presence. Our little adventure took us to the New Forest, a large expanse of land that is part camping sites/ part nature reserve. Most of the area animals are free to roam the streets, the parks, the camps and on occasion the driveways and gardens of houses. Why, well I'm sure theres a reason horses and the like feel the need to eat Mrs Smiths carnations, but that's something for you to find out yourself.


The drive down started with a convoy meet-up at Green Park, to which i made a joke about some old guy running down the road, and as we passed him, it turned out to be Mr Reading himself (John Madejski). Once we had our respective cars all packed we took to the roads to get to the camp site, stopping off for some coffee and nostalgia (coin + my nose + blood = every ones laughter). We got to the campsite around midday which was good, and despite a little parenting from the camper guides (Quiet by 11pm, don't have wood fires, don't ride the horses) we found a spot with enough room for 6 tents and a gazebo. Set up and started drinking.

At first it pissed down, hard, and we had to do some modification to the gazebo when one of the legs buckled, cue duct tape and branches. Aside from the first bit of rain it was glorious sun for the remainder of the trip. Me and a couple of mates trekked into the Forest to have a look, and the old game of smash a stick on a tree ensued. It was fun. And afterwards a nice night fuelled of Westons boxed Cider (lovely) and Heineken mini keg (not so great) began.

Sat was a day of sitting around getting sun burnt, trekking through the Forest in any direction, then a game of Manhunt and Capture the Flag [Hat]. Thoroughly enjoyed both and was a highlight of the trip. Saturday we had Chinese takeaway, not exactly camping food, but you make your own camping experience. Some people go into the wilderness to find themselves and forget the hustle and bustle of the city life, bills and Angel delight. But we had something else to do, we had boxed cider, team showers and an all round decedent camping experience.

You may have noticed i said team showers, allow me to elaborate. The camping showers were amazing, one button you press to turn the water on (much like taps) and it was instant bliss. The right temperature, every time. So 4 of us took a shower with the cubicles next to each other, and usually you try to make as little noise as possible since its a pretty solitary experience, much like going to the toilet, but we had fun, joking and whistling the theme to Jurassic Park.

Sunday was a day of minor walking, still getting sun burnt and a trip to the nearest village for a pub lunch, and for some a trip to Beauliu, a classic car museum with a Top Gear attraction, Monorail and James Bond cars. The rest of us however went back to camp and drank. The whole trip was just an excuse to chill out, have fun with friends and just forget about things for awhile. We saw shooting stars, Jupiter was seen many a time, and talk occasionally went a little deeper than expected considering the amount of alcohol being consumed.


I think we all came away from it with a sense of enjoyment, mild sunburn and most probably a lot more damage to our livers.

So a success then. Roll on the next camping trip

Buzz Aldrin, what a guy.

Now wether you believe that the moon landings were faked, or what not, is neither here nor there. But theres something immensley pleasing watching Buzz Aldrin punch a guy who claims the moon landings were fake, has released two movies contradicting the accomplishments that Buzz and the other astronauts have achieved, and ultimatley wasted the time of Buzz Aldrin by pretending to be a Japanese interviewer.

Chris if you haven't watched it yet, i know you'll love it.

Smooth and Creamy

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Amazing time lapse video of the Milky Way. I love it. And i cry that if i look outside all i see is an orange glow from the lamp posts :(

Shuttle Launch from Plane

Now one thing I would love to see is a shuttle launch. But now I want to see it from a plane. Pure awesomeness.

Lego Robot + Space = Awesome

Students, professors and hobby folk launched the H.A.L.E (High Altitude Lego Extravaganza), 7 Lego:Mindstorms robots designed for different experiments attached to a weather balloon, exploded at 30km above the Earths surface.

Now I like lego, still have some probably, but sending a Lego Robot, hopefully with a little Lego astronaut inside, possibly with some Lego Astronaut ice cream too, is a genius idea. Not so much for scientific merit but just the idea. And the surprisingly cool pictures sent back too ( a SLR camera was attached, taking pictures at intervals)

See more pictures Here and see more info Here