Speaking of Give ‘em enough rope.

It’s over!

It’s gone, that last fm widget over on the right-hand side of the blog is no more. It seemed like a good idea at the time but for some reason it distracted and annoyed me. Now back to my vinyl copy of Give ‘em enough rope.

Farewell 2008

Life is about learning lessons and one lesson I will take into 2009 is not forgetting to have my flu jab next year. I’m taking a lot longer to recover than I’d hoped, which partly explains my recent absence from the blog world.
My invite to Max Mosley’s New Years Eve bash appears to have got lost in the post so it’s early to bed for me tonight.
I wish you a peaceful and sustainable 2009.

Surely not

This can’t be true… can it?

I wonder if Boldon Asda makes Nazi celebration cakes.

Goodwill to all…

Little donkey

This donkey diary has the potential to be interesting.

Don’t you just wish the Iraqis wore clogs.

It must be December…

I’ve had a headache for three days, my chest hurts every time I cough and I’ve spent most of the weekend in bed. Roll on spring.

Blair explains religion

Mr Blair said he feared talking about his religious beliefs during his time in Downing Street would lead to people dismissing him as a "nutter".

Sweet Charity

"Naturally, everyone could afford just to hand over the money if they gave that much of a toss about Aids research - as could the sponsors," Hyde wrote, in the persona of the singer (Elton John). "But we like to give guests a preposterously lavish evening because they're the kind of people who wouldn't turn up for anything less."

Tunes

Thanks to Rossinisbird for emailing me this link. As soon as I work out how I add the nifty gadget to the side of my blog you will be able to hear what tunes I’m listening to.
Just like on Rossinisbird's site but with much better music – obviously.

Hillbillies

I blogged a few months ago on how injury had prevented me taking part in the Two Breweries this year. While I was surfing the net I came across this blog which has made me even more determined to get fit enough to run it in the future.

Rio Tinto

One of the main stories on BBC radio this morning is the news that multinational mining company Rio Tinto is in a bit of a financial mess. As a result Rio Tinto will be throwing thousands of the employees that it pretends to care so much about onto the scrap heap.
I don’t have any problem with the BBC reporting the issue, but I wish that they had given the same prominence to Rio Tinto’s poor environmental record and human rights abuses.

Have your say

I agree with Annie on this one.

The Scorpions: A warning from history.

Punkscience has already blogged on the 32 year old ‘news’ furore surrounding an album cover by Germanic HM sad bastards, the Scorpions.
Personally I will never forgive them for inflicting ‘the power ballad’ on the world; an act so grave it should surely fall under crimes against humanity legislation.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this can never happen again. I was recently exposed to a gig by German metallers Slick’s Kitchen and all the warning signs were there.
Germany is a wonderful country with much to commend it, but aging whistling rockers isn’t one of them. So the next time you’re at the Stadthalle and a bunch of middle aged mulleted men start swaying from side to side, lighters aloft.... Be afraid, be very afraid.

Making movies

Rossinisbird is always telling me that I should go and see more movies, advice that I usually ignore. I think the last film I watched was Million Dollar Baby, and that cheered me up no end!
One film I certainly will be checking out this month is Summer. It’s getting some brilliant reviews.
On at the Tyneside Cinema from Friday 26th December.

Smiling sky

It was very cold when I was out running along the coast yesterday evening but the sky looked amazing.

Photo by Martin Cooper published at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7759643.stm

Pathetic Christmas tree

It must be December, the Gazette has started printing it's seasonal goodwill letters moaning about the municipal Christmas decorations with the usual ‘why is theirs bigger than ours’ type moans.

At this time of year we should all try to think of people less fortunate than ourselves; people who have to live in Peterlee for instance. Never the most jolly of places, this year the inhabitants of Peterlee have been named and shamed by the Torygraph for erecting Britain’s most pathetic Christmas tree. For once they have a point.

Brass monkey

Queuing up at the Carling academy last night, combined with experiencing the frost and sleet this morning has finally persuaded me its time to dig out the winter running gear. So the thermal top and windproof underpants (I promise you such things really do exist) have been slung on the bed. All I need to do now is put them on and run.

Maybe later.