The Urban Eccentric

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I (so have not) Got The Action
2007-10-13 19:55:00
Lunch with J this afternoon in town. Only stayed out for a couple of hours and didn't feel much of anything in the way of fun or excitement so came home early only to find that I'd locked myself out. This resulted in a trek across Manchester to my mothers place of work to get my spare keys. Fun. Although, I have had a phone call since to report that a couple of her colleagues, both about my age, think I'm attractive which boosted my ego, if only for five minutes.In a moment of spontaneity this afternoon I decided I didn't want to be alone in the house tonight so invited friends over for dinner. I've prepared everything, the meat is merinading in the kitchen and the CD's have been burnt but I've suddenly lost all interest in company. I'd kill to be able to just drink a couple of beers, watch a western and go to sleep. I'm so tired it's untrue. It's worrying really, no matter how much sleep I seem to get these days I constantly feel drained and I'm finding it hard to motiv...
More About: Action

Betty's Back! or 'There Goes My Life Again'
2007-10-12 22:39:00
It may only be the second episode of season two but already my secret vice, Ugly Betty, has started to eat into my leisure time. Because I missed the first two episodes I downloaded them both today and consequently discovered that the show goes out a week earlier in the states than it does over here. This means that I can get my fix a week before everybody else by downloading it from a friend in America, although I get no bragging rights from this because I still refuse to tell anybody that I watch it.Speaking of watching it, I'm not entirely sure I should at the moment owing to the fact that Betty looks a lot like an ex-girlfriend and last series the similarity resulted in a lot of 'what if we got back together?' day-dreaming. The girlfriend in question recently hooked up with a guy from her university course though and keeps calling me to tell me who she's slept with and how great they all are so I can't see that happening anytime soon. Hugely disappointed in her because of t...
More About: Life , My Life , Back , Goes

Who's Got The Action?
2007-10-11 19:28:00
Really, who has? Because I need it.Bored again today. Walked out on uni half way through the day because it was teaching me nothing and went for a coffee instead before buying a couple of LP's from Oxfam and heading home. Nothing major, I just needed to get away from pointless lectures.A couple of years back I formed a small group with a few friends which we, appropriately, named 'The Pack.' We used to meet to drink and play cards a couple of times a week. The meetings were always an excuse for excess, we rarely remembered them the next morning and we always woke up in some apartment or other and headed out for breakfast together. Like the originals we had nicknames as well and as the 'Chairman of the Board' I assigned most of the ones that stuck. After a dry year with just one meeting of 'The Pack' I became nostalgic this afternoon and picked up my 'chairmans' mantle to phone the old members and demand they dropped whatever they had planned and come away for a weekend of d...
More About: Action

Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
2007-10-10 19:20:00
I discovered a fantastic CD last night. Having the house to myself I left the house for the first time all day and bought eight bottles of Corona and a Chinese to relax with. Earlier in the day a friend had called round with a few things he thought I might like, amongst them was the relatively recent 'Dean Martin - Forever Cool.' Like the Sinatra 'Duets' albums of the early 90's, 'Forever Cool' uses seperately recorded tracks to create duets between the crooner and contemporary artists like Robbie Williams and, strangely enough, Kevin Spacey. It's a novel idea and it works well, with Spacey's additions being a pleasant surprise. You're not going to get anything new with this, afterall the guys been dead 11 years (it'll be 12 years on Christmas day) but it's good, old fashioned easy listening and once again I find I'm addicted to my favourite Rat-packer.From about the age of 18 Dean Martin was my idol. I have very little idea why but through a strange twist of events and...
More About: Talk

Unrivalled For Health & Pleasure
2007-10-09 09:36:00
Another one of those 'eurgh' days today and I just cannot face going into university. I got drunk last night and made some unlikely excuse about my friends mother dying and her needing my support and I think people bought it so I'm expecting undeserved sympathy when I return tomorrow. Whatever happens they're collecting copies of any work I miss, although I couldn't ask them to sign me into the lectures again because I do it too often and so I'll be up before the head of department explaining myself. It won't be too harsh I imagine, we're post-grads afterall and so they allow us a large amount of 'freedom.'I've been sat at my window looking out into the rain soaked garden since 7 o'clock and watching a fox make it's way around the periphery in search of food. I tried to take a picture with my camera but as soon as I had sorted out the zoom and managed to focus, the battery ran out and the lens retreated back into the camera before I could push the button. It's a misera...
More About: Health , Pleasure , Riva , Heal

The Vicar In A Tutu
2007-10-08 20:44:00
University was a complete waste of time today. The I.T part of the course has yet to extend any further than turning on a computer and moving the mouse and the other aspects all seem to be common sense, but rules is rules and I have to attend to graduate. Sigh. Interestingly though I made a strange discovery today. For years I have been an avid fan of The Smiths and Morrissey and love the song 'Vicar in a Tutu' which refers to a skirt wearing vicar who is 'not strange, he just wants to live his life this way.' It's nicely paced, humorous and doesn't take itself too seriously. I found out today that the place at which the vicar preaches, the 'Holy Name Church,' refers to The Church of The Holy Name on Oxford Street in Manchester which, coincidentally, is right next door to my university building. I'm thinking this warrants a visit at some point soon, if only to say I've been.Reading 'Morrissey's Manchester' reveals a few surprises actually. Further to passing Salford Lad...

Eugh University! & Other Short Stories
2007-10-08 10:04:00
My alarm woke me at half past six this morning and after 45 minutes of pressing the snooze button at five minute intervals I decided I really could not face university so early today.I have to go in at some point; the course is ridiculously keen on attendance and there are a million and one forms to fill out if you miss a lecture. At the moment I've arranged for a friend to sign me in to any I miss while I decide what time to get in. It's one of those days though, I just don't want to go in.At the moment I'm sat downstairs playing about with the laptop, drinking espresso and listening to the grossly underrated 'Painted From Memory,' the 1998 collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. It's an amazingly atmospheric album full of angst and regret. 'Tears At The Birthday Party' is masterful, as is 'God Give Me Strength.' 'I Still Have That Other Girl' was my favourite song for months after my last break-up and I drove the house mad by setting it to repeat to l...
More About: Stories , University , Short Stories , Short , Univers

Sunday Evening & Blog Fever
2007-10-07 20:12:00
More online shopping tonight. I'm trying to make myself completely mobile and with the laptop now nicely charging in the corner of my bedroom I've purchased a pile of stuff that will let me take the 'office' on the road.As well as the 67-in-1 multimedia card reader which lets me transfer pictures from my digital camera directly to my laptop in seconds, I've also bought a Stuartt brand USB sim card reader keyring and a Hewlett Packard 8 gigabyte pen drive, also for my keyring. The card reader I need anyway because I'm forever taking photographs, the pen drive I'm justifying as a means to transport presentations and documents to and from university and the sim reader? Well, a gadgets a gadget and you never know when you might need one. I'll clarify that I am in no way somebody with a lot of money but the course I am currently taking at university (which I will not divulge because it's a small one and I would be easily found out if ever anybody from it stumbled across this blo...
More About: Blog , Sunday , Fever , Evening

Sunday Morning Coming Down(stairs)
2007-10-07 16:21:00
Elena is visiting this weekend and so I was forced to stay in bed slightly longer than I would have liked. I don't mind though, I don't get to wake up next to somebody every morning and so it's a change when I get the chance. Nice, too.We had coffee in bed and I read The Mail al a the postcard fortysomething couple, we kept BBC News 24 down to a gentle hum in the background on the new TV I have now installed at the foot of the bed where it looks great, being almost the width of the bed itself.We've spent most of the day lounging in the bedroom (new blinds were fitted yesterday, affording privacy after almost 2 weeks on display to the neighbours) with me shopping online while she bought and played Zuma on the Xbox which is highly addictive. I also bought Sonic 2 out of nostalgia but despite the claims that it had been 'converted to HD' it still looks ridiculously dated to the point of being unplayable. I've been tasked with visiting the International Food Festival again today ...
More About: Sunday , Morning , Sunday morning