Bricks and Mortar - July 21 2002

10.34 am, listening to the first Velvet Underground album and have
just read the latest overnight threads on the forum. I think some
posters are getting annoyed.

Yesterday (20) was another busy day, that was a little out of the
ordinary as well. I woke up around 9am and fed the cats and they know
as soon as I get up they will get fed and they wait for me to stumble
downstairs. If cats could talk I wonder if they would yell at me to
hurry up and feed them?

I played my guitar for a while as the acoustic is still out of
commission, and then ... rang me around 11 which was unexpected, as I
usually call them. We had a long chat about this and that and the
other, and I played them a new track they hadn't heard from a CD I had
found while searching for something else altogether (Meaty Beaty Big
and Bouncy) which I think is in the garage. They liked it so I said I
would send them a copy.

Then I played my guitar again, slightly more reflective then I went
out. I saw me Mum, turned in one card and got my other one back as I
needed it to go shopping, now I have the tickets.

I walked into Leigh and went into Top Gear, which is a sports gear shop
opposite the off license on the corner. I bought 8 t shirts, a surfing
shirt, some shorts and two pairs of socks. They didnt have any racing
shirts in black and silver which was a pity. Then I went in Gran Moda
and blew ?45 on a plain black shirt. Then I trundled back along to the
photoshop and took in the film from Market Harborough to be developed.
I asked for a one hour service which they said would take an hour and a
half so ok, I said I'll be back. I went in Grindleys the Bookshop and
bought a book of poetry, the tenth anniversary Tube poem book and a
notebook as I wanted to sit in the pub and do some writing.

I got a Guinness and sat down. Three minutes later I heard a loud "bok"
and some bloke in the pub had just been bottled, and there was much
shouting and swearing, and then the bloke took off with his girl and I
asked the barman what was going on? He said it was a long running
story. The barmaid was in tears. I only went in there for a quiet pint
and write a poem. The police arrived a little while later along with an
ambulance. The bloke who been bottled walked to the ambulance and the
police left soon after apart from the CSO who asked for witnesses so I
gave them my name. Normally I wouldnt have, but I am different now.
wrote to poems, had another Guinness and then left. I went back to the
photoshop. The photos were good. Some dated back to Christmas, but
there were a couple of good ones of L and M. Lots of smiles on camera.
Lots of fun.

I walked home, got in and copied some cds for ... so that they can save
some money. I went on the board for a bit and then changed my shirt. My
wife called at 8.40 having been round her Mum &; Dad's then we drove
to my cousins. Except we got lost, and pulled up outside the drive thru
Macdonalds and had to ring for directions. I could hear that the party
was in full swing. When we got there we went in and I gave my cousin's
husband a bottle of wine and a card. Then I went out the back to say
hello to some friends of his. My wife joined us and we had a drink.
Then I got some food, avoiding the salmon, and sticking to Quiche and
several sausage rolls. Then outside for another smoke and more chatter.
Turns out the people in the shed are all into Big Brother so we had a
long chat about that. One of them thought i was 30. So maybe the
rejuvenation treatment I have been giving myself is working.

About 11.30 we drove home and then watched Big Brother that was on.
They were all quite drunk and decided to use a part of the obstacle
course in a game, where they had to change clothes and back again.
Except Kate and Alex wouldnt come out of the big plastic thing, and
this went on for twenty minutes with Jonny and Jade trying to get Alex
and Kate out of it. It was quite surreal.

Apart from the two Guinness I had earlier today, I only had a couple of
cans of Boddingtons. My wife said she didnt know anybody there, but I
said its easy you just say hello. One thing that annoyed me was that my
cousin's husband introduced his friends but didnt tell them our names.
I think it must have escaped him, so I had to add that piece of
information myself.

We also tried this thing with the chair where you have to take three
paces back from the wall, lean over and stick your head against the
wall and then while leaning over try to pick up a chair. My wife could
do this no problem, I couldnt and neither could the blokes and the two
women, although I think the Barcadi may have something to do with it,
as most women should be able to do this. It seems that men cant,
something to do with the way we are built or the length of our legs or
torso.

I noticed it got dark about 8.30 as we came up to the lights at the
Blue Boar. Lots of cars zooming about, heading for the town centre and
sea front, and there was no way we were going along the sea
front.

I have switched my talk plan to Everytime 400, which gives me 400
minutes cross-network on the mobile. When I rang the Orange people the
bloke I spoke to said that I had a large bill on its way. His exact
words were that I had been hammering the phone a lot this month. And to
think this time last year I didnt even have a mobile.

I did think about going up to Camden today but I can go anytime, maybe
next week or the week after, if I get the mower sorted out first.

My brother has had some problems with his girlfriend. I need to have a
chat with him.