New Business

Things are proceeding with the new business idea. I have completed a preliminary business plan, including forcast figures for the first 5 years (incorporating what amount of each level of product we will need to achieve these figures), I have been advised which bank to have the business account with, and have begun looking into advertising, with Yellow Pages paying me a visit in about 2 weeks time to discuss our advert and payments.
It is all getting very exciting, and very worrying at the same time. We have a fantastic product but need to make our potential customers aware of this without them stealing the idea and without them getting what they want from us and then buggering off. Marketing is the key at the moment and I will have to discuss this with my partner tomorrow.

Birthday Hunk

Today is the 28th birthday of the British mixed martial artist from Lancashire, Michael Bisping, also known as the Count. Check out the pics.

My working environment is a joke

In my immediate working area, we have 4 main offices. Each office has its own printer. At the moment only 2 of those printers are working. 1 has been broken for months and isn't going to be replaced. The 2nd was broken and recently completely replaced, but has since run out of toner and they cannot replace it as it is a new printer that they haven't ordered any toner for. The other 2 printers have run out of paper as there are more people using each printer more than normal. It is absolutely ridiculous! (and typical of my employers!)
On top of this we still haven't heard what will be happening to us when the new position comes into effect at the end of March.

"Who's going, THEY decide!" [spoken in Geordie accent]

I need some of this

Great night out

I went out for drinks with Lee last night and we had a fantastic time. We met a Spanish photographer named Alfredo and he was such a nice guy we all got on really well and stayed with him for the rest of the night. We eventually got home at about 04:00!

Lee has told me that he and Leigh are not even going to attempt to remain friends now, but I will wait to see how that pans out (he has said it before). If it is true then that is really good news, he is a real psycho and Lee is better off without him.

Celebrity watch

Saw Waz (formerly of Make me a Supermodel) at the corner of Old Street and Goswell Road.

Troy

I was back at work yesterday and I actually felt better for it. Instead of having little to do at home and thinking only about being unwell and worrying about the money I had lost by being sick, I had people to talk to and a bit of work to do to keep my mind occupied.
The film Troy was on last night too and, as I hadn't seen it before I decided to watch it. I was impressed with the whole thing. The effects looked real, the acting was actually very good and hot Greek, muscular men (not just Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Eric Bana either)!! What more could you ask for?
I was really impressed with the way they handled the "superhuman" aspect of the story. With ancient Greek stories come tales of gods and men with superhuman powers, but this film avoided that and instead "explained" how these "superhuman" traits could have been believed. For example with Achilles, the legend says that he was immune to harm except for his ankle because his mother dipped him in the river Styx, but forgot to wet the ankle she held him by.

""Spoiler warning""

When the seemingly unbeatable Achilles died in the film, firstly Paris shot an arrow through his ankle, then shot three arrows into his chest. Achilles ripped the chest arrows out before dying, thus, when his own soldiers found him all they could see was the arrow in his ankle, thus this "must" have been his only weak spot!!
I was impressed and would willingly watch the film again and again.

Going back to work tomorrow.

I have decided to go back to work tomorrow as I am feeling better, I'm not 100% as I still have a blocked nose, a tickly cough that I can't shift, I still have a bit of a temperature and I have aches all over. But I'm well enough to have been out of bed for most of the day, so I should go back to work and earn some much needed money.

I think I need something to get me motivated for tomorrow, so here are some uniform boys for MY enjoyment, if you like them too then that is a bonus. (OK, so technically then builders don't have a uniform but you get my drift!)

Still not well.... :-(

I am still under the weather, though not as bad as I was. I am actually out of bed and have eaten something (all I had all weekend was a tin of soup, a pack of Fruitela sweets and a cheesy biscuit (as I haven't been able to go out food shopping.) Today I had a tin of rice pudding.
I will go back to work tomorrow as I can't afford to miss any more work. Shame that I still ache all over.

Feeling worse!!

Last night I had so many calls from a work colleague asking me to down to the pub and join them for drinks that I put my phone on silent in the end. Then at 02:30 he came bursting into my room and attempted to drag me out of bed. When he eventually left I closed my bedroom door and locked it. I then called work and told them I wouldn't be in the next day.
Typical that I am sick this month when there are so few working days anyway, I don't get paid sick leave.
I am gonna have tomorrow off and so should call them again in a bit. I now have hot and cold flushed, but am not sweating, and my hands shake and I get twitched in my legs. My nose is more blocked than it was and I have had very little sleep all weekend.
Just shoot me now! Please.

Not feeling well, please feel sorry for me...

I feel like crap at the moment. I have a sore throat and a tickly cough that I can't shift, my nose is constantly running and I ache all over. Why do I have to feel like this on my last day off? It just isn't fair. I have only just got out of bed and I'm thinking of going straight back. I should be working on the business plan but I just can't face it. My business partner wants me to relocate down to Crawley, as it is where he lives, but I really couldn't face it I don't think. I wouldn't know anyone but him and what little social life I have would disappear. Decisions decisions!!

Birthday Hunk

Today is the 37th birthday of a favourite of mine, especialy as Prison Break series 2 is still airing here in the UK, Dominic Purcell. This guy is just so sexy, especially with longer hair. And he is British born and raised in Australia, what could be better?

Happy birthday Dominic.

Never too late to change your opinion

I have just seen this clip from Real World: Denver and it is a great clip of a straight guy realising that there is actually nothing wrong with "the gay thing" and that the relationship his gay housemate has is just the same as the relationship he has with his own girlfriend. It is a heart-warming story and worth viewing. I just wish that Beta-Blogger would let me post YouTube clips!!

Planning

Everything is going well with the new business plan at the moment.
I seem to have Bob, my work colleague, on board and enthusiastic and he even seems to view me as the boss of the new company.

We have:

• A name
• Potential website
• Possible location for the office
• 2 possible backers to approach
• Prices for our services
• The beginnings of a business plan
• Potential staff, when things get up and running

And we are working on the rest. I am really getting excited about everything, but I don't want to let myself get goiong too much, just in case. It is really weird, but I don't actually want my to be my own boss, THAT is what I am finding most scary!

ME as the boss!! Weird!

I guess I'm gonna have to get used to it if it goes ahead.

A new business?

I am working nights at the moment and am really bored. I have been trying to come up with a business plan for a new business I would like to form, just in case I do get made "redundant" here. I have some good ideas, basically I want to continue doing the kind of work I am doing at the moment, but providing it for smaller companies who may not have enough staff, or the inclination to set up a team themselves. I have an idea of where I would be based, who I would employ (at least initially), who some of my contacts would be, my overheads, and even have an idea for a backer (as I have no money to begin it myself), but the most difficult thing is proving to be........ coming up with a decent name for the company!! I feel that it has to be just right, to instantly identify the service we will offer and to be memorable too.
I have a fair bit of research and planning to do before this can even begin to take a proper form, but I really want it to work. I will keep you informed of my progress (or lack therof!).

I am such a geek!!

I was watching Diagnosis: Murder this afternoon and as it started I saw the credits saying that George Takei was guest starring (anyone out there not know that he played Sulu in the original Star Trek series and films?). As I watched I got more and more geekily (word?) excited as I saw a guy who looked like Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, indeed it was him. Then there was a guy in shadows and I thought, that sounds like Walter Koenig (who played Chekov in the original Star Trek, and was in Babylon 5), and again I was right.
If that wasn't freaky enough, having them all in one episode of an episode of Diagnosis: Murder called "Alienated" about possible alien abduction, I then saw Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand in the original series (I'm not THAT much of a geek, as I had to look up her real name). In the same scene was Majel Barrett, who played Lwaxana Troi in The Next Generation and DS9, was the female computer voice in TNG, DS9 and Voyager, and was married to Gene Roddenberry!
Finally there was also Bill Mumy, who appeared in DS9, and Babylon 5, but is most famous for being Will Robinson in Lost in Space (the original black and white series).
All these famous sci-fi stars, all acting with Barry van Dyke (who you may remember starred in the Battlestar Galactica television series ion the early '80's!)

Sci-Fi geek heaven!!

"Yes! I am such a geek!"

About bloody time

I went out for drinks last night, on my own. I went to the usual places, Comptons (where they have lots of lovely bar staff at the moment), Rupert Street (where the bar staff are always welcoming) and Barcode (where I got chatting to one of my fave barmen when the downstairs bar eventually opened!), and then I decided to go to Barcode South. Its a nice place but a bit far to walk home so I don't go there often.
While I was there I met a guy and we got on really well. Eventually we came back to my place and he stayed the night!! I can't remember the last time that happened (although I know it is the first time since I've lived here, and that is 7 months!)
It made a really nice change to wake up next to someone, unfortunately when he left I realised that I didn't have his number! Typical! I am so crap at this!!

Birthday Boys

Today is the birthday of two very beautiful men, both athletes and both very successful.

Firstly, we have Ken Shamrock, you probably won't be surprised to find that he is a martial artist and wrestler (yes, another one!). He is 43 today, and I certainly would!

Secondly we have probably the world's most successful professional surfer, Kelly Slater, who can also sing, play guitar and act (the bastard!). And his current girlfriend, whose name escapes me at this time, was recently boasting about the size of his cock too. Argh! I hate him SO much!! (But I could forgive him!) Kelly is 35 today.

Happy Birthday to both you guys.

Out tonight... wanna join me?

I have just decided to go out again tonight (I say "again" but it is only the second time this week, which isn't much!), and I was wondering if y'all wanted to join me? So, if you look like any of the guys I've posted pictures of I will be out and about in Soho (Barcode, Comptons, Rupert Street) from about 20:00 hrs and would love to have a good old chat!
If you are celebrating England latest scrapethrough, sorry I mean win, in the Six Nations, then all the better. Jonny I promise I will buy all your drinks and I promise not to bite that lip which must still be a bit tender after last week!!

Men

Lunch

Well, I met up with Lee at 12:30 for lunch and I wasn't really looking forward to it. As it happens it wasn't too bad, no heavy talking about Leigh, but the spark we used to have has gone. We used to have a rapport which meant that we knew what each other was thinking. But it was nice to go and meet someone for luch and not HAVE to have a drink. I would like to go out for lunch / dinner more often, no matter who it is with.
Lee did mention that I could have a job with his security company as a trainee to be their new Business Developement Manager, but I really do not want (and couldn't do effectively) a management role anywhere. I've tried before and I'm no good at it. He said I would be ideal person for the job, but it just wouldn't be right for me, and I wouldn't be right for, or good at, the job. It was flattering, but also a bit infuriating as the only time anything is "offered" to me they are ones that I can't, or shouldn't take! There is also the fact that I wouldn't get what I'm earning at the moment and I would have to go back to driving, which I do not really want to, as a car costs too much money.
Lee had to get back home to do some work, so we were only out for about 2 hours. Afterwards, I decided to treat myself to some more comics and spent £20 on back issues in Orbital.

My landlord, Kevin, "mentioned" that he will get me a heater for my room next week as, when I put the heating on, in the flat ALL the rooms get heated and it costs a fortune. It was his way of hinting that I shouldn't use the heating. F**K THAT!!! It's freezing.
It was bad enough this morning that I had to wait half an hour for the cleaner to finish cleaning the bathroom while I was waiting to have a shower! He had just poured cleaner over every surface, even the floor, and left it for 15 minutes! He hadn't even cleaned the floor properly when he DID "finish," there were smears all over it!

Great idea...

Just watched the beginning of Countdown, and Carol Vorderman came up with a champion idea. When you get one of those really annoying cold calls from someone trying to sell you something. Tell them to hold on a second and put the phone to one side and don't go back to the phone until they have hung up. It will waste their time and money and hopefully they will never call again.

Give it a go, you know you want to.

Look what I found...

While I was bored yesterday I decided to research some people at work and I found the bebo (?) page of the bitch who has managed to stich up and trample all over so many people at work, just because of who her dad knows! Feel free to send any message / link you like to her site, no death threats please, just don't mention my name as I'll get sacked!!

Good night out

Went out for srinks with Tim last night, wasn't sure if my stomach would be up to drinking pints of cider but it held up nicely. It wasn't that busy, but I had a good night.
For some reason that escapes me at the moment I decided to go to Chariots again after Tim had gone home. It was really dead there too and after about 3 hours of wandering around there I decided to come home. I walked out of the front door to find that it was snowing, and had been for a while it seemed, as there was at least an inch of snow already on the floor.
The way I walk home from there is by using a lot of back roads and so it was really peaceful and the snow was really beautiful as it fell. I didn't mind that I was getting coated in snow, it only took me 15 minutes to get home.
When I got up this afternoon most of the snow was gone and all that remained was brown slush, because of the grit salt. I treated myself to about 40 back issues from the sale at Orbital Comics when I got my usual weekly batch, so I should have plenty to read for a while.

Bit better

My stomach ache is now gone, but I still don't have my full appetite bnack yet. The flat is still freezing without the heating on and just bearable with it on. Also the grill on the oven isn't working and the door to the dish-washer won't close. Apart from that everything is fine.

Oh and I am meeting up with Lee for lunch on Friday, the first time I will have seen him, or physically spoken to him since his birthday, 21st December. I haven't felt like talking to him since then, and I'm not sure that I want to now, but am going to make the effort (one more time!).

Just to make me feel more inclined to go out!!

Tuesday

I feel a bit better today, the stomach ache is almost gone and I have started to eat. I want to get out, but I can't go drinking just yet (cider isn't that food for a stomach ache!). I just wish my room wasn't so cold and I got a better reception on my television! Oh well. Hope I feel 100% tomorrow.

Strange dream!

I'm not feeling too good today, the stomach ache I had at the weekend has amplified today and I feel really rough. So, I stayed in bed quite late.
While I was dozing I had a dream about a film being made with new technology. Somehow they could pull actors from the past to star in new films. I was watching a new "Carry On" film being made with traditional "Carry On" stars like Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, June Whitfield, and Charles Hawtry. As well as these stars were people like Graham Norton, Cherie Lungi, the woman who played Lily Munster (Yvonne DeCarlo) and the German woman who appeared in one of the camping "Carry On" films, Elke Somers.
The film itself was called "Carry on Haunting" with a lot of the dead actors playing ghosts haunting a small hotel. Kenneth Connor even drove a car which was also ghostly.
Really weird, but I love having interesting dreams that I can remember vividly when I wake.

Weird film

I am working a long and uneventful night shift and there has been nothing on worth watching until now. We are watching Kung Pow: Fist of Fury. It is so funny. And so weird. Steve Oedekerk starts (and wrote?) and it is keeping us amused (then again it is nearly 3 in the morning!
The film has taken old Chinese martial arts footage and has put new footage over the top. Some bits are just so weird, like the girl,Ling, (who sounds like Miss Piggy) keep s going "Weeee-ooooh-eee".

Gaps in my memory

Tim wasn't able to make it out last night as he had a work party to go to, but I went out anyway as I needed to get out and stop moping around the flat. I felt uncomfortable initially but decided to stay out and eventually had at least 6 pints and managed to take my mind off work etc with people-watching. I didn't actually talk to anyone, other than the usual barmen though.
I have a gap in my memory though (again!). I remember being in Barcode and then I remember being in Chariots Shoreditch, but I don't recall how I got there! I must have stopped at a shop on the way as I had a Yorkie and a pack of Tuc in my coat pocket!!
Nothing happened at Chariots though despite walking around for about 4 hours!! Don't ask me why!! I must have fallen or walked into something at some point as I have a bruised knee and I remember my nose bleeding for a couple of seconds! God knows what happened there!
I am experiencing these small blackouts more and more frequently and it is a bit worrying, and even more frustrating!

This morning I threw up because of the drink, the first time this has happened for a few years!

Tonight I have the pleasure of working with a colleague who is probably going to get the promotion to the position I have been denied, many say it is because of WHO he knows not WHAT he knows. And tomorrow night I am working with another successful applicant, who deserves the position more. Should be fun. NOT!

That Friday Feeling

I am still feeling down today after the events of this week (this year!) so I am going out for drinks in Soho tonight, hopefully Tim will be out to distract my mind from my woes. By the end of the night, I hope to have that "Friday Feeling" back in my body just in time for me to go back to work for 2 night shifts over the weekend.

Brian Krause

Today is the 38th birthday of an American actor, best known for playing Leo in the his (and hot) series Charmed. Brian Krause was also in the second Blue Lagoon film, but, in my opinion looks hotter now than he did back then.

Work........

...and I just can't be bothered to put myself out anymore.
Yesterday, I asked the woman who delivered my bad news (that I had failed the application process) if I could meet up with her to discuss my future options within the company. She said she was busy but if I phoned in the afternoon today, she would see me if she was not busy. It wasn't the answer I was looking for, especially with my career on the line. I wanted her to say to me, "sure, we can make an appointment now!"
Today I could face talking to her if she couldn't put herself out for a member of staff who was obviously in need of sopme help. On top of this my fellow disapointed colleague, Bob, would not stop going on about the fact that we have both been "shafted." I didn't disagree with him, but I didn't want to mull over it ALL day! So, I actually felt really depressed ALL day!
I have a break now, and then I'm back to work on Saturday and Sunday night. Then I am off again for a whole 7 days.
I really have to find something to do during these days off, as I normally just sit at home on the computer. I can't do that with what's happened as I will just end up brooding.