THE ROSE AMERICAN DREAM....OR IS IT?

Is this the end or just the start of something new?

2009-05-01T02:09:00.001-07:00

Hi blogfans. As you may be aware UBS informed me that they, ahem, no longer require my services.

This all began around 11.45am on Tuesday 28th April when the 'big boss' called me on my mobile. This, I knew was THE call and yes I could have run away and joined the circus / gone to the pub I went straight upstairs and faced the music. In a meeting room. With the big boss and a gentleman from HR.

I can't exactly remember what was said but I think I heard the words "your role is now redundant" and "economic downturn" and as I was part of the Bank's employee forum I sort of knew what would be said next, the forms shown to me and that I would be due back in UBS in two weeks time (less now) to be handed my notice formally. During this two week period the firm will look for potential roles for me internally, not that I am holding out much hope, because let's face it, the market is not good - but hopefully something will be out there in the big wide world of jobs for me soon.

Tuesday night, after an afternoon of clearing my desk and sending personal information 'home' I went to the pub and consumed two and a half pints of John Smiths Extra Cold - boy did that go down smooth. This was swiftly followed my two vodka and orange chasers. I stopped at this point to go home and nestle in the bosom of my lovely family. I bumped into a friend on the train who very kindly drove me home in my own car to save me walking and leaving my car at the station. Thank you Ryan, that was much appreciated!

I went out with my lady wife to the local pub / eaterie for a lovely meal and nice long chat. Here we realised that a)we like food b)we like each other (phew) and c)you know what, we'll be ok in the end.

Just before bedtime I looked at the form which informed me as to why I was not as good as others in my job pool and went to bed with that and many other thoughts milling around in my head. I slept very badly but once I was up the next morning (wednesday) the sun was shining and I got myself showered, dressed and took the children to school. This was a really nice thing for me to do and I very much enjoyed taking that part of the morning routine away from my wife for any times that I would be around (possibly for quite a while now!).

After this I spent time at home installing Microsoft Office 2003 on my home PC (thanks Ricky) and synching my gmail account to it too. From here I emailed various contacts and throughout the day received lots of lovely calls from friends and family who were and are very kind and supportive to me.

I went to the supermarket for a break with the missus and here I eyed up the pot noodles on offer as my money wont last forever! No (delicious) pot noodles were purchased even though I remember chicken and mushroom to be the best and only flavour worth eating.

I continued to send my CV to various contacts and register online with 'cityjobs'. In the evening Gabby went out and I suddenly remembered my all important 'TV clock' was out of synch as I had totally forgotten to watch The Apprentice! This, as you may know, never happens. I waited for the missus to return from her (cheap) evening out and we watched Alan Sugar and all his apprentices (is that a word?) perform their task (badly) and then get grilled in 'the boardroom'.

Thursday was a new day and I had slept REALLY well! I took the children to school once more and then went to get a decent, interview-friendly haircut. Yes, I do look good and much neat and tidy! I then kept up my thursday lunch arrangement with an old colleague and had a lovely beef in black-bean sauce and a long chat. Amanda (the FX panda) inspired my to write a list of 50 things I would like to do and then to actually do at least 10 of them. I really need to start on this list - maybe you'll read it here first (luck you!).

I also stood outside UBS and faced 'the three-keyed demon'. I bumped into some (already ex-) colleagues and had short chats. Then my good friend and colleague Dan brought out a couple of belongings for me that I had missed.

Finally I decided to meet up with my recent boss and team-mate for a beverage. This is something we did often anyway and maybe I shouldnt have done so but I really enjoyed meeting up and getting it over with so there are no stigmas in my mind about doing so in the future! I stuck to many diet cokes and after this came home.

Last night I had a lovely salad and then popped over to the same friend who drove me home on 'day zero' for a chat and to 'chew the fat'.

Today I got up early and came into town to come and see 'Penna' who are an outplacement firm UBS pay for me to use to take the next steps. It's really good here and I have plently of resources to use including 9 hours of 1-2-1 time with a consultant, use of a PC and phone for months if needed, and 50 credits towards various courses, which is excellent.

I will soon leave to meet up with my pal Ricky for a coffee (chocolate in my case?) and then over to Milly on the train later for some lunch.

In between all this I will be touting my CV (which Penna will help me touch up) and working on my list of things to do.

Thing 1: visit Borough Market (!)

More soon, thanks for looking.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

2009-04-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

The last full day. The sadness. The happiness. And reflection.

The title of this blog is 'The Rose American Dream... Or Is It?'. To be honest and with all things considered it really was a dream holiday and we had an absolute blast - from the relaxation of the pool to all the shops, the theme parks and almost into space at Kennedy. All in all I can hardly fault this trip at all and this is a sentiment shared by us all. Sniff.

I don't think I'll blog from the airport tomorrow night unless we're very delayed so this will be the last (of the holiday). I'll continue to blog from time to time with random pieces of crap, normal service to be resumed.

So this is what we did on our last full day. After our day at Universal yesterday with its early start we gave ourselves a well needed lie in (only broken briefly by a call from across the pond, but that's ok cos we went straight back to the land of nod!). We (liderally) chilled by the pool as it still wasn't that warm this morning. The children braved the cool waters of the swimming pool and I tried my best to relax whilst the beautiful wife buried her nose in a book.

Once the children craved heat we went back to Prime Outlets and whilst Gabby took Freya for a healthy sandwich / salad myself and the boy went for a real burger. I had much researched the 'best burger in Orlando' and the 'tinternet had mentioned Five Guys Burgers and Fries a number of times - so that's what I munched on with my best boy. Now before my main food worriers worry too much this was the only burger I had all holiday - strange but true. How good was this freshly prepared pattie of beauty? Twas excellent and the web was right - thumbs up for this delicious embodiment of America. The burger wasn't huge or beautifully presented - it was just the most tasty of its kind I have devoured in a long time. As for the fries (with skins on), they too hit the spot. Tidy.

Whilst I sat with the children Gabby managed to race round, find a new jacket and jeans, get a couple of things for the children and exchange some Converse shoes (Jacob's Rubik's cube boots) for the bigger size. Phew.

After this we all went to Florida Mall so Freya could 'Build a Bear' with her holiday money - and this she did with the production of the very pink and flowery 'Violet'. Jacob soon decided to follow suit with the brown 'Furry' bear. As you can see from the below picture these animals are popular (at least for today!). I bought some jeans and then we headed back to the hotel so the kids could swim again. Mrs R and I relaxed in the setting sun and thought about how much fun we have had.

We went out for a last night treat to Vito's Chophouse for some decent red meat (that's the family photo below) and only my second steak of the trip for the worriers out there. The meal was excellent as was the service received from 'Ken'. I never seem to menion what the others had as only my food is important (hehe) however Gabby had some delicous lamb (rack of) and even the children meals looked good, Jacob opting for some very nice roast chicken with hand cut wedges and Freya having lamb kebabs with a lovely garlic mash. There was definitely no room for dessert and I may still yet have some (caramel cone Haagen Dazs) ice cream that will have to be left in the freezer (boo hoo).

It's now ten past midnight and almost all packing is done thanks to my top wifey!

Tomorrow I think we'll be back at Epcot in the morning for the final bit of theme park fun before heading to the airport to drop off the 300C (the car) in the afternoon and take the red eye home to ole blighty. This is one flight we are not looking forward to - bah.

Hope everyone is OK there in blog reading land and wish you all a Chag Semeach / Happy Jesus Resurrection and Egg Day.

If there's one conclusion drawn from this trip (apart from 'no wonder there are such big people in the USA if portion size and food prices are anything to go by') it's that somehow, sometime, some day, WE'LL BE BACK!

See you, Paul and the Roses x x x x

The Ride Of My Life

2009-04-07T18:21:00.001-07:00

Today's GENUINE (well, almost) sponsor and all round super excellent person is my pal Mark and his site is http://www.jazzivories.co.uk/index.html . Check it out if you need a jazz pianist for any occasion!

After a late night with the Fantasmic show and watching the box until midnight I was up at 7.15am getting ready for the day ahead. The kids were so tired we had to wake them both up - but we had a job to do. We had to go to Universal, and our ticket was for two parks in one day - Universal Islands Of Adventure and Universal Studios.

This may all sound like a lot of work but it's not like we get to come here very often so wanted to make the most of it....

We arrived at the park about 8.20am and decided to splash out on the valet parking ($20 vs the day parking fee of $11) and I'm pleased we did it. It saved us the walk from the biggest car park on planet earth (another bigism I know but I kid thee not) and it was collllld today. We wrapped up in sweaters etc but it was windy too just to make sure we were well chilled.

Starting at the Islands Of Adventure they opened the gate at 8.45am and as we pre-planned (got to pre-plan to get the best out of the day) Gabby took the children to Suess landing where they arrived to the 'rope drop' and went on everything about 5 times. I, however, hot footed it to Marvel Superhero Island and rode The Hulk. This was the most adrenaline fuelled ride I have ever been on with it's multiple looping and corkscrewing green tracks. The guidebook said that once ridden (it begins with a 50mph boost into the unknown) you will not be able to walk straight - and I couldn't!

After this I went straight onto Spider-Man which was a sort of coaster come 3D all enveloping ride and very impressive it was too. If the baddy was an ice man then cold water got sprayed at you, real fire blazed and 3D arms grabbed at you - very good indeed. My final romp before catching up with the rest of my family again was Duelling Dragons - a beast of a looping, corkscrewing rollercoaster ride where you almost 'bump into' another coaster (the other 'dragon) whilst hanging down from your seat as there is no floor. Awesome stuff and again I couldn't quite walk straight for a few minutes.

Was the Hulk better, or Duelling Dragons? I'm not quite sure but together they were the best rides I think I have ever been on, closely followed by Everest at Animal Kingdom. I still say though, that as an overall experience, Epcot is the best park by far. End of.

The Roses were reunited in Suess landing and then the wife and daughter went on Spider-Man themselves. The lad isn't such a fan of fast rides but then again I was terrified of everything when I was 7! We then moved into the Studios park and made a beeline for the new Simpsons Ride which was a very clever simulator that immerses you in a Krustyland fairground ride gone wrong. This ride replaces the classis Back To The Future ride and is really quite similar - and even has a Simpsons cartoon whilst you queue to explain how things changed - all very amusing. The ride was good fun and enjoyed by all although the missus felt a bit sick(!).

We then did Men In Black: Alien Attack, a shooting spinning ride which left me a bit giddy (see below picture of us all - Gabby almost hidden by gun - and me looking traumatised, maybe because of the stranger we picked up). The queues were getting bad and this 45min line was beaten by the 70min E.T. line. We hadn't encountered queues like this in any Disney park and Universal don't have a free fastpass system to help bypass queues.

The tattoo / chav count was definitely higher in this park and you could also buy beer in glass bottles to swig which people were doing over their buggy riding babies. Nice.

Fear Factor Live was a fun show based on a US show where members of the public sign themselves up to mad stunts and insect eposure contests similar to those found in I'm a Celebrity. This was very good as some Estonian nutcase won the challenges hands down. Ending with having to retrieve flags from a car dangling at 30 feet and ending by firing a 'rocket launcher' from the car to hit a target.

We didn't have the time, or the inclination to do all things in both parks but this, to us, was an excellent 'best of' and we left around 5pm as our valet returned the car to us - great stuff.

We ate a great meal at the Olive Garden (again) and wifey and I had salad followed by some very good pasta with meaty sauce.

Finally we had to pop again to the supermarket (Publix) for final supplies. I have to mention this visit as yet again the customer service received, compared to ole blighty, is simply outstanding. ?They can't do enough for you helping you find what you need and not just giving you blank looks and shrugging which happens all too often at home. Oh home, sweet home, we are not quite ready to return to thee just yet.

Sadly 'Man V Food' isn't on tonight but tomorrow, our final full day, will be more chilled and maybe without theme park visit at all! We may have to pop to The Magic Kingdom though to meet some friends!

I am now getting worried our Sky box has failed and that we will have missed all the 24's, Losts, Desperates and Apprentices. We didn't even bother recording Corrie - shock horror.

Such worry!

A reminder again of today's GENUINE (well, almost) sponsor and all round super excellent person is my pal Mark and his site is http://www.jazzivories.co.uk/index.html . Check it out if you need a jazz pianist for any occasion!

Is it big? Oh yes it's big, and Fantasmic!

2009-04-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hello blog viewers, how are you today? I'm a little tired as are we all but it has been a busy one. Earlier today we relaxed by the pool and it very nearly rained but didn't (20% chance of precipitation according to the weather channel... ahem).

After this we headed for another large American thing only this time it was a supermarket or maybe more of a hypermarket... choc full of the freakiest trailer trash Americans I have ever seen in one place. This was Super Wal Mart (yes , it's Asda but bigger). We had transexuals with lots of make up and big boobies, mullets, bad moustaches and people who looked at home in 'My Name Is Earl'. I spent far too long in the candy aisle and bought some ... to give out at work. Uh oh, I'm talking about food again... as I also bought Double Stuff Oreos - which we all road tested in the car - top marks. Whilst in American-Pikey-Big-Supermarket-Ville the heavens opened so we missed the main rain of the day, huzzah!

Then we ventured to Downtown Disney, a cornocopia of shops, eats, clubs, a big cinema and the largest (big things again) Disney Store in the world. It was fekkin big. The whole place wasn't so fab but we had to have a look or I would have felt we missed out. They also had a big Lego shop (which I love) but this didn't have the same grandeur and ambience as M&M's world!

Finally we went to Hollywood Studios again and began with their American Idol experience, which was excellent. This was just a shortened version of the real show with the audience voting for their favourite act who can go through to the real show. It was very well done and I found myself whooping and booing (at the baddie judge) along with the rest of them. Here we bumped into our new holiday pals so the children were happy.

After this TV show-fest we started to queue up for one of the most popular shows in all Disney Parks, Fantasmic. We had to start at 7pm for the 8.30 show (seriously) and continued the trailer park trash theme by the wife drinking cold beer out of a plastic cup and us all eating hot dogs on cardboard tray. Even though Fantasmic wasn't our favourite production it really was very well done - with a river (more of a lake) of fire, projections onto fountains, Disney characters, lasers and fireworks. It was the children's favourite though so that was good.

We left the park after the show ended around 9pm and that was about it for today.

Tomorrow we attack Universal (a little Islands of Adventure and more of the Studios me thinks) finally. The end of our American adventure approaches but we won't think about that - we'll look towards theme parks and eating - as per usual then.

Night.

Man v Food

2009-04-05T18:11:00.001-07:00

Some say you cant eat a three foot bratwurst and others gawp at the 7ib burrito challenge. Today's sponsor is the excellent Man v Food on the US Travel channel - http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food This show is excellent and certain friends of mine will appreciate these awesome meaty challenges. Mmmmm... IFOCE.

One blog viewer has commented this is getting repetitive (and they may be right!) and another is worried about my ice cream intake (large amounts of hydrogenated fats I'm told). One must understand that not only can such a trip be similar each day but that ice cream and (some)bad food intake is part of MY holiday and this is why I did pre-holiday diet. CAN A MAN NOT INDULGE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS?? I've had plenty of decent meals without fries and with veg /salad. OK OK so I've eaten one apple since March 26th which is my only piece of green.

Today we returned to Epcot and arrived before it opened around 8.45am. We had a great time on hangliding simulator Soarin' where we 'flew' over various Californian hot spots - very cool ride. Then whilst Mrs R took the children back to see Nemo and The Seas I quickly did Mission Space - a trip to Mars simulator that was quite intense. If you're claustrophobic then you don't want to do this one! After this I met up with the other Roses and we all rode Test Track, which is a car ride where you go uphill (fnarrk), speed up, slow down, skid, brake hard and then end with a 65mph zooooom round a long track with super fun banked curve.

We saw a show all about Velcro (yup, really) and then moseyed on down to the World Showcase - venue of the awesome fireworks I spoke of a number of days ago. We ate in China (I had a veggie stir fry to appease my dietary critic(s) ), saw a bit too much of Norway and looked in Germany a little.

We took a boat back to Future World and rode the 'golf ball' ride again - all about man's development from caves and through to 'the future'. We then left and took a drive to Prime Outlets - yet another massssive mall. It was just stupid sized really. The missus bought a few things and so did I in Bananannana Republic - who can resist 50% off already discounted prices. I also instantly found the Oakley sunglass lenses requested by 'repetative' blog viewer (within 7mins of text request) - but they didn't respond to my price info so they did not get boughted.

Whilst typing this I am still watching Man v Food where the man is eating the hottest wings on the planet and now he's attempting 'Burritozilla' (a burrito the size of a medium to large newborn child)- hahaha. Sorry, I'll continue.

We ate in a Bahamas style cafe in the mall with excellent food and utterly dire service. I had a chicken salad and still haven't eaten ice cream today - though I may raid the freezer after the blog ends.

Beyond this we drove back to the hotel down the utterly awful (north) International Drive - some of you will know this road is like Blackpool, but worse. Mind you it does contain the biggest Maccy D's on the planet - woo hoo. Must eat there...maybe. Our hotel is thankfully just off the nicer part of this sh*t road with lots of greenery and trees and without all of the discount crap stores and 67 fast food joints per square metre that the north end of this road has.

Right - off now to eat some lard, chocolate (battered) and 3kg of ice cream. And fries. In bed.

Poolside and Sweets

2009-04-04T19:28:00.001-07:00

There isn't too much to say about today, I 'relaxed' by the pool as my tiny angel children played in the pool in the hot sun. The missus went to a couple of malls from 10am (left me at 9.45am) and didn't return until 4pm, the bare-faced cheek of it! On top of that she hardly bought a thing - good for my wallet but would have rather the wife found a few nice things for all the hours 'off'. Ho hum.

After all the sunshine I had to come up to the room around 5.30pm to rehydrate and relax. This consisted of some water from a bottle and me in a jacuzzi bath (sans bikini) watching Friends. It was utter bliss (no kids no wife!). They soon invaded my peaceful TV watching and we all got ready to go out. Note to self: when moving to dream home in lala land install a TV in the bathroom, along with a bath that actually fits a full sized adult - as ours blimmin doesn't. Anyhoooo....

The wife had told me about a place she came across today at ginormous (it is a word) Florida Mall, so we headed there. This mall was so big it has it's own large hotel within the complex - only in America (and other countries I'm sure - does the Lakeside Travelodge count?)

It was at approximately 7.16pm that I came across one of the coolest (non Star Wars) shops (in my geeky eyes) ever. May I introduce our sponsor for today... drum roll... da da da da da daaaa....

m&m's World

(clickable link)

This emporium, devoted to this popular American candy was bigger than many HMVs I have seen and sold everything under the sun, devoted to these sweets. It was utterly enormous and just crazy really. I obviously had to buy t shirt since I came across another excellent pop culture crossover - m&m's and.... Indiana Jones. So I bought two, since they were half price - wahey!

Please enjoy the following colourful snaps of my favourite part of the day as I browsed this huuuge shop. Only four of them exist in the world - double corrrr.

After some more shopping we had Mexican for dinner - arriba arriba! The missus and I had mm mmm combo fajitas and part of the kids meals were the best waffle fries ever - brurrrrrp. We got the kids to bed by about 10.20pm which is just a little late for our delicate flowers.

Tomorrow - back to Epcot me thinks. Got to go now and watch TV with a lot of adverts. Tata.

To Florida... and Beyond!

2009-04-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Kennedy Space Center

Today was a lonnnng day which all started about 7.45am when we left for Kennedy Space Centerrr arriving around 8.55am . I wanted to go back here as I haven't been in over 25 years and Gabby wanted to go and for us to take the kids to something that's real and not Disney! How impressed we were with our day...

The place is by the sea around an hour away from where we're staying (I guess you can tell that from subtracting the two times above, ahem). The visitor's complex was very nice indeed with a real space shuttle (Explorer) and rocket boosters near the front to have a good gander at. Wifey and I both did the shuttle launch experience which was rather a good simulation (apparently) of shuttle take off. My cheeks and 4 chins were wobbling like mad as we 'lifted off' then somehow felt almost weightless as we 'floated above earth' - OK so this is a bit Disneyfied but it was simulating something that is very much real.

After this we took a stroll in the Rocket Garden and let the children loose in the play area since we somehow managed to miss both IMAX films (oops). Before long it was time for lunch... with a REAL ASTRONAUT (did I mention that 23 times??). The food was good ( I ate these interesting potato things with mini viennas inside - these, I am told, were corn dogs - healthy? I think not) and the room was relatively intimate with tables of 8 people totalling approx 70. A lady called Wendy Lawrence who had not just flown in the shuttle (4 times) but also piloted it twice, I guess you could say she was a bonafide astronaut because she was! She spoke of her training, space flight and got asked the usual questions about weightlessness and doing a poo in space but it was all so fascinating. After this we got to have a photo with this person - who was a pleasure to meet and something Mrs R and myself will remember for a long time to come.

The children were interested too but probably didn't appreciate the magnitude of this encounter and how few people get to go to this place / meet someone who has been into space.

There was also a memorial to those who lost their lives such as the Challenger and Columbia crews.

We then took a 'close up' bus tour where we saw a couple of launch pads, the crawler / transporter vehicle (weighs 18,000,000 ibs fully loaded with launch pad and shuttle) and the vehicle assembly building (largest doors on earth that take 4 hours to open / concrete floors are 8 feet thick / foundation piles of about 160 feet etc etc http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/vab.html)

Finally we went into the actual mission control room from the Apollo VIII mission in 1968 where they simulated the whole launch experience which included all the real footage sounds and even the windows vibrated. We then moved into the new building that housed Saturn V - the biggest machine man has ever made with 2,000,000 processes / parts that had to work at once for this launch to happen - wow!

I know some people aren't the biggest fans of such things and personally I've not been bothered about many a shuttle launch , however, after today I now feel the need to keep track of these missions.

Geeky facts: The shuttle will only fly eight more times (five in 2009 and three in 2010)and then they are going to start sending astronauts in capsule rockets again, firstly back to the moon, and then to Mars by 2025. At least that's the plan.

And there ends my space-tastic time, it really was ever so good and was somehow an emotional experience for us grown ups - both of us this time! Totally fascinating.

We finished off going to Tony Roma's (on planet Earth) for dinner where unfortunately it wasn't Monday when I could have taken advantage of their 'Unlimited Slab' of ribs, mmmm unlimited. I managed though with a full rack (Gabby had two) of BEEF ribs. Rather tasty they were too.

That's about it for today - and I'm sure we'll soon be back to the pretend fun of Disney etc soon - still need to revisted a parade, ride or two. And still haven't done Universal yet.

Now off to pick beef rib out of my teeth, night all.

American TV and Wind

2009-04-02T20:35:00.001-07:00

I have to say that American TV, with fifty squillion 'commercials' is generally cack. Apart from the shows I like of course like Lost, Depserate Housewives, 30 Rock and 24. Local rea news is the best with so many stupid stories about odd people's lives. I just saw a recaptured escaped convict crying for his mom on the box - pitiful.

There is a very MINOR chance of a tornado tonight. I said VERY MINOR mum / dad / in laws. We'll be fine and will sleep in the cupboard. Maybe we can just watch a little more news about 'ordinary' American lives, jeeeez. I would detail the stuff they have on but fear I will just glaze over. Oh look, I already have..... ZZzzzzz

New Videos.....

2009-04-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Is this a dancing queen we see before us grooving in the Converse store?

E.R.

2009-04-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

A long time ago we used to watch ER but it got so miserable we had to stop. But today we are watching the very lasy episode ever and lots of old characters are appearing - we're still looking out for George Clooney's Doug Ross though. We want Doug, we want Doug.

More recent pics?

2009-04-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

You want 'em? You got 'em. I think that's how they speak American....

Rejoice! The Blog Is Back,, Days 5,6 and 7

2009-04-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Thank the sweet wifi Lord for letting me blog once more!

It seems the internet powers that be didn't like me downloading copyrighted material "30 Rock / Lost" so they cut me off the other night. I thought it was the machine so I did all sorts of reinstalling but I got through to the right people today and it seems for now.... I am BACK.

Does anyone care? I'm not sure but I do enjoy talking about our (my) time here and all the 'exotic' foods I am eating. So here it is, one blog entryfor 3 days of missed blogging.

Return To The Magic Kingdom (March 31st) was one of those varied days by which we spent the first half by the pool then made a top toasted turkey and cheese salad mega sandwich in the kitchen of our villa followed by a 4pm arrival at the Magic Kingdom. By this time and due to going to the parks on the 4 previous days / staying up late to blog I was totally worn out. However we spent a great few hours in Fantasyland seeing the best of the Disney 3D movies, Mickey's Philharmagic followed by the rides of Winnie the Pooh, Tomorrowland Speedway, Dumbo, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, It's a Small World (we had to really!) and ended the day waiting (for 45 minutes) with huge crowds for the 8.15 'Spectromagic' show. The crowds were huge and during the wait Freya needed the loo and Mrs Rose was a star managing to fight her way through, take Freya then come back with food supplies for the children. It was worth the wait and the crowds - an amazing show comprising of lots of floats all lit up with coloured lights featuring all the usual characters and great orchestral music. We all agreed that this was excellent but decided to leave just before the fireworks - and it was good that we did as not only did we see them from the monorail but we were able to ride with the driver at the very front! Talk about your awesome train driving fantasy! We went pretty fast (or so it seemed at 40mph) and going through the hotel was an experience followed by the kids receiving a co-driver's licence at the end from the very kind driver. Those of you with kids will know how happy a little piece of card can make one's offspring.

We got back to the hotel around 9.45, put the kids to bed and then the grown ups shared some noodles from the previous night's Chinese food - we were tired and it was late! Then I had to have more of that ice cream - and in case I haven't mentioned it before the flavour was vanilla with chocolate brownies and fudge, lush.

STEAK day!
April 1st - we chilled at the pool for half the day with some friends of some friends, and their kids who ours got on well with - and later on went again to the massive outlet mall (Premium Outlets). I bought a cardigan (are they back in vogue?) for $11.99 and a shirt in Gap. Wifey and kids got some stuf too and we made it to the last day of the Ralph Lauren sale - phew. Whilst Gabby did some shopping I took the kids for some sweet treats in... The Fudgery. Muffled teenage guffaws.

I hope the G20 hippies in London didnt cause too much disruption and that they were waved away with the promise of a pot noodle.

OK - so we went to a local eaterie called "Fishbones" with our new friends and their children. The service in this regular restaurant is just unheard of in England unless you pay bloody loads! Our waitress couldn't do enough for us as I gorged on a 17oz New York strip steak. I even sneaked in a few "holiday shrimps" which I shielded the children's religious eyes from. The steak was cooked medium rare and was sublime. Pink in the middle but with no juices running from it at all. Obviously once I had consumed my one lovely cold beer I had about 4 Diet Cokes but as this is the land of the free it was one Diet Coke with 3 free refills. The kids had a top time with our friends' children and their parents were very nice too. We all went to bed about 10pm (not with the parents) and this was maybe a bit too late for the kids as transpired today.

I BELIEVE - in Shamu! (April 2nd)

Today we went to Seaworld which is only 5 mins from here as opposed to 20mins+ for Disney Parks. At this watery wonderland saw the amazing Shamu(s) in a very patriotic and shmaltzy show called Believe (feel free to YouTube it but I'll try to upload a photo or a vid) . It was very enjoyable and we all got wet in the 'soak zone'. We also walked through the "Shark Encounter" which was very cool and then saw a fun pirate show featuring Sea Lions and an otter! As we left we got our tickets stamped so we can pop back for free and at the same time asked Guest Services where a recommended ice cream place was. It just so happened that the "Coldstone Creamery" was very near where a man lived who had lost his keys on a rollercoaster! His nice wife asked if I could take him home, I hesitated for a second then realised these people may not actually kill me, so we took the guy home to get his spare keys etc. He showed me where this slice of ice cream heaven was. What an amazing place - you choose your bits and pieces (oreos, chocolate, nuts, twix, sweets etc) and your ice cream then they hand mix it all on an icy slab and it was yummmmmmy!

We are chilling in the room tonight and eating relatively healthy pasta with fresh garlic bread and parmesan bread crispy things.

Both the kids have a bit of a cold so we're having an early night as tomorrow we're going to the Kennedy Space Centerrr - for a fun full day including our lunch with a real astronaut (I may have mentioned this before to some of you)

I hope the internet people don't ban me again!

Tata for now.

May Day 4 Be With You

2009-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

After a late night last night we all managed to be up and out by 8.30am which wasn't bad really - and into Disney's Hollywood Studios by 9.05am - good going Rosey! We began by doing the studio backlot tour which is pretty standard fare for any 'studios' with the obligatory burning tanker truck and 100 billion gallons of water washing over you. This isn't to say it wasn't fun, because it was! This park seemed to be a lot about shows and performance so we saw The Little Mermaid where I got really bastard soaked for some reason with the rest of us being less affected by the inside theater (sorry, USA spelling) rain. Muppetvision 3D reminded me of how funny the muppets was always written with loads of belly laughs (from me anywayshow) and then the impressive Indiana Jones spectacular. I only had a salad for lunch which is shocking considering all the crap I could have had! This southwestern leafy affair really was most delish, especially for Disney fodder. Apart from what was mentioned previously we all thought the High School Musical show was great (not just cos of he pretty girls!) and Toy Story Mania seemed to combine a fun ride coupled wih amazing interactive computer generated blasting fun.

Whilst at the park I also took Freya on Star Tours which was a simulator ride based on a cetain sextet of films I love (well, maybe not Episode 1). Beyond this ride was an emporium full of related goodies where they had even more Disney / Star Wars crossover fodder. I was 'forced' to buy a dubious looking (in my wife's eyes) T Shirt. I informed her nobody would ever see it, well, apart from you that is. I cant see a problem with it's jovial X Wing pilot Mouse, can you? Next door to Star Tours was a Jedi Academy where they call up kids to train with a lightsaber on stage - my shy duo declined to try to get picked (Freya?shy?). This ended with a bit of Vader and stirring music with typical Disney acoustics and was very good indeed,

We ended on the parade which was full of Pixar favourites and then came back to the hotel for a swim. But not before we went to the supermarket to stock up on fooooooood! I don't think I have mentioned this before but we agan bought some, ahem, "beef bacon" which (to a bad Jewish boy like me) smelled and tasted like bacon but was all beef (and water and chemicals and dust)

Which part of the beef I do not know nor want to find out (lips and ar*eholes anyone?).

This evening we ordered a Chinese to be delivered to the room (more like an apartment really). It's always a worry to a fat bast like me as to the quality of such foods when tried from a new place but luckily we were not diappointed. Half a duck, egg flied lice, chow mein and szechuan beef were very much enjoyed along with spring rolls and chicken skewers - brurrrp.

Mrs Rose appears to be asleep already and it's only 9.49pm - I may be able to polish off more ice cream this time - woo hoo.

Tomorrow.... we might not go to any parks at all.... nooooooooooooooo. Yes.

Then after that its going to be stormy allll week - this is my punishment for posting weather reports on facebook, gutted.

Still to come on this holiday / blog: RETURN To The Magic Kingdom, Epcot 2, Universal, Sea World AND Kennedy Space Center (I'm doing that bad spelling again) featuring lunch with a real astronaut, ooooh. Oh, and back to more malls to satisfy any shopping cravings. All of this subject to change and the inclusion of a water park - but no bikini shots of me will be forthcoming as I haven't been deforested. Does my back being Veeted count?

I know what you're (probably not) asking - "will they make it to the ice cream emporium that is The Coldstone Creamery?" and the ever present "when will Paul report back on his first US steak in 8 years?". All this and more will be answered, if the storms don't wash us away and if we go to that ice cream place and if I have a steak (yeah right, cos I wont be doing that... much)

And here are the video parts - sorry to any parents / in laws as I don't have any grandchild footage here: (one for now, will add more in the morning)

Thunder, Outlets and Epcot - Day 3...

2009-03-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

The fact of the matter is that even though we had the loudest thunder ever at 5am and more rain than you could shake a stick at - today was the best day so far, and here is how this all transpired...

The wife and I got up around 6am after the sounds of the storm scared the bejesus out of us.

Once the children were up (7 ish) and ready I attempted, in vain, to escort Jacob who wanted to go to the pool. For a swim. In the p*ssing rain. The weather got the better of us both and we retreated back to the room to chill out and for me to post those extra pics and vids from the day before. At around 10am we left the room, into the jam jar and went off in the rain to go to.... Premium Outlets. If only the pound was as strong as it was a year or so ago - but we still managed to bag some bargains in Ralph Lauren, Converse (pink for Freya and Rubik's cube boots for Jacob)and Reebok (two pairs of great trainers for about £48). We also managed to consume a couple of pretzels at "Aunt Annies" - with the cinnamon and sugar concoction being one of the nicest sweet snacks tasted in a long time. It wasn't as emotional as last night's Olive Garden but hey, that was nearing perfection (!).

After we had put the kids through a few hours of torment at this ENORMOUS airport sized mall (with touch screen interactive store directory) the weather was improving for the better - so we happily treated the kids to something called 'fast food' at a little known place the Americans nickname "The Golden Arches"..... which seemed to taste better in the land of the free(fat).

After this luxury luncheon we headed, in the sunshine, for Epcot. We all had a great time here with the kids meeting some of the characters again with some nice snaps (again), with us all loving The Seas (with Nemo and friends), Spaceship Earth and a trip across the lake to the middle of the world showcase.

As we had only arrived around 3.30pm by the time our 5min trip across the lake ended it was 6.30pm and time for our reservation at Teppan Edo in Japan.

What a top meal - a nice authentic chef person cooked the meal in front of us on one of those Teppanyaki style hot plates (500 degrees something (C/F) apparently). We all started with some sushi followed by hot fresh sizzling steak and chicken, mmm mmm. By the time this Japanese feast ended it was around 8pm and we headed to the bridge between 'France' and 'The United Kingdom' to secure our place for the best view of "Illuminations: Reflections Of Earth". This was the best firework and light display I have ever seen (since the last time I saw it in 2001). It utterly took my and all our breaths away.

The kids' eyes were so wide and they clapped more at the end than I have seen so far for any show. "That was amazing / can we come back tomorrow night?" one or the other of them said. The spectacle, like a number of things this holiday, brought a lump to my throat and tears in my eyes (is this hormonal / signs of early male menopause?)

Epcot seems to create a very special kind of atmosphere and even though some of our peers had steered us away for a long visit to Epcot with children they really loved it and so did we. Nobody does it like uncle Walt and 'his' powers of organisation, acoustics and all round entertainment will never cease to amaze.

We probably will go back again later in the trip just to go on a lot more rides that we missed today. The show ended at about 9.30pm and the younglings were in bed by 10.15 so not bad really, and they were surpisingly spritely for the time of day. This bodes well for future evening shows of this kind.

THE best day so far, and that was even with the rain.

Tomorrow we'll attack Hollywood Studios and our trusty Fodor's guide has told us which rides to go on first. As the weather forecast is good we may just make it there before 3.30pm! It's now 12.40am and all are asleep apart from me - raiding the giant tub of ice cream (again) and waiting for the blog videos to upload....

Lion King, Pics and Racing

2009-03-29T04:38:00.000-07:00

Some might say that this is rubbish for 720p HD video but as this is built in to the regular camera I'm rather pleased. Will also post a video in daylight for comparison too. I'm sure it's only Gary looking at this blog so this one's for you bruv. In the circlllle... the circle of liiiiiiiife..... boom!

*Editor's note: once videos compressed for this site the quality isnt really reflected well.. hmmmm

And here are some 'bonus' photos from the past two days - should you want to see more pics - Gary!

and a daylight video - wobbling from the ride / small form factor of the cam but it's nice to have one small product to do all my snapping and filming.

As the rain calms down here it'll soon be time to go to the outlet mall (via food purchasing at Publix supermarket) and later to Epcot.... bored with this blog yet?

If you're not good i'll bore you with a glowing review of the customer service in the supermarket, which was amazing. haha.

Two Altercations And A Salad Please

2009-03-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Day two and everyone slept a lot better. This being the case we only managed to get out the room by 8.15am and we HAD to be at Animal Kingdom for it's opening at 9am. So off we went in my all American 300C. Thank the sweet Lord of eBay for our AAA diamond parking passes - meaning we could park very near each Disney Park entrance without having to take a tram / walk for miles. How much was this privilege I hear you cry... about £4.36p.

We liked Disney's attempt at a safari park come jungle ride-fest and all went on the safari part first thing - after watching the park opening ceremony, of which, the Magic Kingdom one was much much better and almost brought a tear to my (wobbly) eye. After the safari we watched a 3D Bug's Life show which was fun but lots of loud noises, darkness and mist so both kids were a bit unsure about that part. We did a kiddy ride which they loved (typical) and I ventured on the one they called 'Everest'. I'm not sure I'm as agile or resistant to being affected by rides as I used to be but I came off this terror-fest with a smile on my face and legs made of jelly - brilliant fun. I also rode 'Dinosaur' which was a time travel / dinosaur / asteroid fun fest - alone. It was good but a bit much for my delicate munchkins.

We saw two shows too, Finding Nemo (very clever puppetry and acting all at once) and later on The Lion King. This show was one of the best things I have seen at a theme park and seemed to encompass everything that was good about Disney - brilliant acrobatics, perfect acoustics, a centre stage, great songs and singing - with an uplifting feeling throughout and stayed with us (me only) as we trotted out from the air cooled barn into the hot sun.

We also managed to get some snaps with the characters with the ever-satisfying family pic with a certain mouse in the bag. Just after this we ran into my first almost altercation. As you click away happily at the character of choice cuddling your pride and joy(s) a Disney photographer also takes 'official' pictures allowing you to pick them up later, at Disney prices. I had just finished taking snaps of my pride and joys with Goofy when the Disney photo man handed me his special card (to hand in and buy photos) to which I politely responded "no thank you" to which he said "if you didn't want me to take pictures you should have said" .... WHAT??? Am I dreaming? Was Disney cast member getting all shirty? Why is it down to me to tell him NOT to? Why couldn't he have asked if I wanted any? So I walked away, got annoyed then walked back, gave him a polite (as always) piece of my mind and went off on my way. As you can tell I was most perturbed by this turn of 'events'. So off we went to get a picture with a large duck costume with a man in it and a pair of characters comprised of an alien and a Hawaiian girl.
We left the park after the obligatory parade ready to come back to the hotel and for a swim. It was at this point I almost had my second and much more dangerous alteration. I was forced to pull in to a lane to get the freeway / highway at the near last possible moment -if only CHiPs were present but we're nowhere near California and they were fictional.... I digress - and the man who I really really needed to let me go in was accelerating to get past me and left me not a lot of room as he overtook at speed that I vented my spleen with a long hoot to which his passenger window came down and a long arm came out and I was given the bird - a very large bird for all to see. Then this nice man slowed down (on a fast road) to a crawl and this same door was opening and leg coming out (car still moving) presumably ready for me to beg for mercy as he would inevitably get out and point a scary gun at me (maybe with accompanying Hollywood music) Luckily this did not happen and after some careful lane weaving we lost him. Parp.

Back to the hotel for swim, bath and change. We went out to eat to a place called The Olive Garden which I was told by a certain Milly-dawg not to go to. How wrong he was. At this Italian eatery chain I proceeded to consume one the best meals I have ever had. Now this is possibly a little over the top and wont be helped by the meal as I describe it but it must have been the service, the place, the food and ambiance as well as two very tired and very well behaved kids. I had an amazing cold beer (just the one) called something like Yuenling and .It. Was. Amazing. I ate spaghetti with meatballs but not only were these excellent meatballs but it also came with as much 'garden' salad with croutons as I could eat along with as many garlic bread sticks as I could consume too. Convinced? Probably not but believe me it was all so good and we ate at the bar - with lots of room for plates and the kids' drawing that they gave out. Eating at the bar? How brave and nouvelle of us.

So we've had two almost alterations and my garden salad. Who knows what merriment tomorrow will bring but I think after two long park days we will be relaxing more but with an afternoon trip to Epcot and a meal in 'Japan' to look forward the fun should continue. Although, storms are coming..... and yes I mean the weather.

Wife asleep again so I will now raid the fridge once more for a dessert never ordered at The Olive Garden. Yes, it's the Olive Garden and I'm not raving over a burger or a steak - strange, but true. Night.

Nice Ride

2009-03-27T18:26:00.001-07:00

And so it began. A nine hour flight in 'cosy' seating featuring a molten centre of the earth hot BBQ chicken and wedges as the main in-flight meal. It may have been sun hot but it wasn't bad I suppose. The kids were both well behaved and seemed to take the flight in their stride. I'm not quite sure how I managed though with broken sound on my audio connection thingy - meaning I watched no films at all. I couldn't even make it past page 10 of my recommended Piers Morgan 'The Insider' book. What's wrong with me? (please keep those thoughts to yourself). We landed a little early at 6pm US time, got through the US super scary finger print and retina scanning commandos pretty fast. Collected luggage and then arrived in the Worst Queue Known To Man (tm). Some might say that lining up for all our rides today would be worse but oh no. There were approximately twenty Dollar Rent-A-Car desks and only four people working. I was in a queue with a lot of tired and increasingly annoyed people. After a forty five minute wait, with me nearly crying with exhausted jet lagged anger, we finally collected my ride.

I was advised not to accept the standard car given so went for a Chrysler 300C which is quite a beast compared the the Montego-like car we had included in the holiday. And oh what a beauty she is - like a silver...erm.. silver car thing. It was odd being much too tired, driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting on the wrong side of the car, at night but we managed to get from airport to hotel in about twenty five minutes. By the time we unpacked, got a pizza delivered from The Hut and all to bed it was about 10.30pm which was 02,30am UK time - the kids got a bit ratty towards the end of it but who can blame them?! I slept so badly (even though the room is huuuge with two bedrooms, kitchen, dining, lounge etc)and was awake from about 3.30am but by 8am we were all ready to go - to the Magic Kingdom. Considering it was a hot 84 degree Friday with large expected crowds we strategised well and got on a lot of rides - thank you Fodor's. Splash (twice) and Thunder Mountain by 10am followed by Magic Carpets, Jungle Cruise, Pirates Of The Caribbean (based on a film apparently, guffaw), Buzz Lightyear, Monsters Inc Laughter Floor (a personal highlight), Indy Speedway ending with the afternoon parade. I have to say that all the queuing was short, lining up was a pleasure and nothing and I mean nothing in comparison to the rental car debacle the night before. I bought the best thing ever - Mickey Mouse as Anakin Skywalker, oh yes! So exciting this is that I have sadly included a picture of it's Disney / Star Wars cross-over product wonderfulness.

The day was a lot easier than we thought it would be, the children had a really good time and seemed to appreciate it and take everything in. We ended the day by going to Publix (Florida supermarket chain) - it was awesome (too OTT?). So many nice things in such large sizes with huge aisles of processed food that it isn't hard to imagine why I feel so thin here! I will be going back soon just to browse the aisles of goodies. Am I mad? Am I sad? Probably.

Sorry about all the blank space.....

I will leave you with a snap of the kids and Buzz. Yes we queued to see him but again we waited about a minute. I would have uploaded more pics but this wifi connection here is slowww.

Wife fast asleep now and tomorrow we take on the Animal Kingdom.... now shall I go to sleep too (I'm so beyond tired) or go and guzzle some Florida OJ or eat from a half gallon tub of sweet sweet ice cream?

It really isn't a tough contest is it .... ice cream time!! Night all

Tomorrow tomorrow, i love ya, tomorrow, it's only a dayyyyy a... wayyyyyy!

2009-03-25T00:56:00.000-07:00

Aaah, aint that sweet / annoying / painful.

Little orphan Annie there in all her splendour. I'm not sure if she's singing about her excitement at our impending trip to Florida but this could be doubtful as she may not, at that time, have known about our holiday.

Hopefully, we'll be off tomorrow and will update this blog from time to time with 'great' pictures of burgers, hot dogs, fries, large fries and extra large fries. And maybe one or two of us in Disney-esque situations with accompanying anecdotes of how the kids moaned and screamed at the 2 hour queue for It's a Small World etc.

Please be gentle with any comments / abuse as I am of a delicate disposition.

Tarra a bit.

Under Construction

2008-11-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

I didn't think I could be excited about a teaser trailier but it now appears I am : http://www.startrekmovie.com/

Fork Handles

2008-11-05T01:46:00.001-08:00

Four Candle's ? - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

What the hell are Walkers doing?

2008-07-09T02:27:00.000-07:00

Now I'm sure this has been discussed before and it's not a new phenomenon but why oh why have the colours changed on UK crisp packets? Namely, a certain brand who instigated this disgusting change.

There was a time, back in the days when knife crime wasn't so prevalent and political correctness was something you thought was connected with Maggie Thatcher that the UK's undisputed number one potato crisp was made my Golden Wonder. Who can remember those beautiful dark blue packets of ready salted? Or maybe the light blue salt and vinegar flavour or even green cheese and onion?

It was easy for us UK mortals to understand and enjoy as we popped into the local newsie to buy some packs. There was a problem though and one that was going to be much much bigger than previously anticipated and what was that then? I'll tell you.....

The advent of Walkers Crisps - Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! These treacherous b*stards always produced crap stale crisps and in the WRONG COLOUR bags. Whats light blue? Of course poor unsuspecting crisp buyer, it's cheese and onion. WRONG!!! OK then, what's green? Well, that'll be salt and vinegar my friend. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Ready salted? Red? BUGGER RIGHT OFF.

Ready salted crisps come in a dark blue bag and make no mistake. Oh Golden Wonder, please come back, I miss your beauty, your taste and your bags.

How this small company called Walkers became so big and how they wiped out my beloved Golden Wonder I'll never know. And if someone mentions Gary bloody Lineker I'll shoo them away like a pesky fly.

Please please, crisp buying chums, avoid Walkers if that's at all possible.

Or at the very least, swear as you approach the crisp aisle at your local supermarket. Maybe something like "Oh fu*king hell I guess I'll buy these WRONGLY COLOURED B*STARD bags of crisps if I have to" or suchlike.

I may be emphasising wrong colours here but this in no way constitutes a racist rant. This only relates to crisp packets and way back when... when..... in the early 80s when....OK, I'll stop.

Guilty as charged your honour

2008-06-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

I posted previously about words and phrases that are overused in everyday life. I didnt name any specific breaches of this myself but have now found a recent issue and i am GUILTY.

Maybe, in my day to day contact with colleagues I have been getting all nostalgic as I have now realised that my (over) use of the phrase "back in the day" has been blurted out during far too many conversations over the past couple of weeks. My tendancy to say 'it' has subsided but it suddenly popped into my tiny mind that I should be sent to Phrase Jail (Gaol).

I know there are many more infractions of this behaviour but at the end of the day, basically, you know, I'll touch base here.

The Power of the Plastic Brick

2008-06-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a county not too far away was a 7-12 year old boy called balenolad. He lived in a suburban home and looked forward to each birthday or special occasion where he may, if he was very lucky (and he usually was) receive a fab Lego set. Never one for doing team sports, or any sport for that matter, young balenolad would spend hours, by himself (aahh) with his favourite little plastic bricks. He would then spend ages meticulously creating the car/plane/machine detailed in the glossy instruction booklet and then proudly show it off to his parents who were always 'impressed'. Personally I think they were happy that I could be amused for a few hours with little interaction and to be honest I dont blame them!

There was one time when the young balenolad built a fab motorised windmill that was rather top heavy - with the battery operated motor and the rotors. The choice of switching it on atop my parents' glass covered coffee table may not have been the best in hindsight. This was confirmed when the plastic struts holding up the main windmill broke free and the motor etc came tumbling down breaking balenolad's mum's table ornament. It was lucky that the lad's parents were in a forgiving mood that day as there was no punishment dealt out. Ahhh, the humble lego set. Ahh memories of simpler times.

The picture to the right, is in fact, the LL928 and not the bloomin' 497 Galaxy Explorer. It was just the LL928 and didnt have a name. I fear this one may be the coding from another country, probably the USA. Either way this was probably my most memorable set and again takes me back to times gone by

Ahh, that's better - thank goodness I found the real thing - 928. Phew.

These days it's a whole different ball game. There are so many different Lego types around, many being unashamed film tie-ins such as Star Wars, Batman and Indy. In case you havent noticed, Lego now also produce clothing, household items, character keyrings and more video games than you can shake a stick at.

This has all lead me back to my childhood wishing I could just go out and buy Lego again - playing it all by myself - me me me me. This wish was semi-fulfilled recently when my 6 year old lad was bought a Lego truck for his birthday. He didnt realise just how much I enjoyed helping him put the thing together, piece by piece. As for feeling the solid connection between each brick - it was bliss! How sad am I?

Being able to buy Lego Star Wars for my PS3 was another thing I could do to hang on to my Lego addiction of old as was the more recent Lego Indiana Jones game. I have also just replaced by Lego Darth Vader keyring with the new Indy one, much to my (and my son's) joy.

There are so many nostalgic items out these days to send thirty-somethings back to the late seventies and eighties, and Lego is just a tiny portion of that money making machine.

I'll go now and maybe one day, sometime soon, i'll go onto the Lego website, build my own set online and buy it. Oh for the love of Denmark!

Is this the best thing ever?

2008-06-13T02:44:00.000-07:00

I think I may soon need to make a very unnecessary but worthy purchase. My wife will killlll me!!!!

If pointless gadgets are the food of love then I am very very hungry, or something. http://www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/4-/3593984/Back-To-The-Future-Flux-Capacitor-Replica/Product.html?P36=8QEDV6

Bzzzzzt bzzzzzzzt glow bzzzzzzt glow.....

He's from the coffee ads

2008-06-13T02:38:00.000-07:00

I have a very good friend who is not unlike he who was in the coffee ads.

He is very well read but at the same time feels that anything I do on this blog will amount to nothing. He is very probably right and I have every confidence that within a week I will get bored and then buy another item encased in cellophane to cheer myself up - but that's a whole other subject....

Adieu.

In touch with my feminine side?

2008-06-13T00:50:00.000-07:00

Many friends of mine will say that as far as being blokey is concerned I really am a "bit of a girl" sometimes. Last night was no exception.

Mrs balenolad organised a charity screening of Sex & The City in a local cinema in aid of Prostate Cancer. The committee she's on chooses a different charidee each time (but doesnt like to talk about it).

Even though she was seeing SATC last night the missus couldn't wait and still had to see it on the first day it opened. When she likened it to my love of Star Wars and wanting to see The Phantom Menace the day it opened in 1999 I was forced to laugh in her pretty face. How can you compare a few year wait for a chick's TV show to be turned into a film to an immense 16 year wait for what were potentially going to the be the most amazing prequels ever. Even though they were not.

OK, back to last night. The cinema had 190 seats and it was a sell out. There were about 184 women and I think 6 guys. A few had come by force and there may have been one who actually wanted to see it. Erm. That'll be me. I have always been a fan of the show - I mean, it had nice women in it, lots of rude bits and mainly women's rude bits at that. Who can argue with that? My opinion was always that the end of season six should have been the end - as it was excellent. I wont bore you with the story as that would take me over the edge into womanhood. All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the film! I walked out after 2h 20m uplifted and happy, which is fine by me.

Today I was 'forced' to download the title song by Fergie as it's quite funky. Does that make me a girl? Should they make another of these films? I dont think so, just leave it now - dont spoil a good thing.

It's almost a shame I dont really 'do' designer labels to keep up with these crazy women (men's clothes in my case of course).

Please excuse me whilst I unbutton the jacket on my M&S suit.

Basically at the end of the day phrases are literally over used, in any case.

2008-06-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about you but in today's world and yesterday's too, some words and phrases seem to be used a little too frequently for my liking.

I hold my hand up as I'm guilty of this as well and sometimes go through 2-3 week periods of using the latest 'phrase du jour' and not even bothering to try and come up with something original in its place. I dont think I have one at the moment but I'm sure we all know of people who are guilty of this infraction of UK law. Here are a few of them that you may have found in your place of work....

http://www.marketingtoday.com/personalbrandceo/0104/buzzwords_gone_bad.htm

Sea creatures made from confectionary!

2008-06-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time when I was a few stone lighter and a whole lot younger I used to love things like games consoles (though I was terrible at games), the cinema and all media related tomfoolery. If it was in THX, I wanted to hear it.

Essentially I haven't changed except I havent really kept up with some of the latest web-based advances. Sure, I have a facebook account but dont really do much with it apart from reject /ignore friend requests from people I stopped being friends with a long time ago. There's a reason we're not in touch and no social networking site is going to materially change that!

I'm not quite sure what form my posts will take going forward but I have been inspired by a friend into having my own blog. My own little space where all my (un)interesting thoughts can be gathered in one place.

That's it for now. I'm going to try and think of some great things to put on here so I could be a while.