March 2009
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My favourite aspect of Paris was probably the food. The French simply know how to do fantastic cuisine, be it pastries, brunch, or a full on evening dinner.
We didn’t bother with breakfast in the hotel, as it was pretty much midday by the time we surfaced each morning, instead trying somewhere random where it looked like they wouldn’t shout at us for not being French.
Doing this,...
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Since I got back from Paris on Sunday night, I’ve found myself comparing the city to London a hell of a lot. I’m an unashamedly massive fan of London, and don’t ever see myself leaving, but I also love going abroad for comparisons.
The main difference I can say is that Paris feels a lot more compact. The open spaces that do exist seem to be mostly concrete and at the junctions...
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Paris by numbers:
Piles of dog shit stepped in: 0
Piles of dog shit narrowly avoided at the last second: hundreds
Hawkers of Eiffel Tower-related tat that swarmed around you per second in the touristy areas: 7
Napoleons buried in Les Invalides: 2
(Tiny) Glasses of wine consumed: at least 12
Croissants consumed: at least 4
Words repeated ad nauseum because my French was so appalling: 3...
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“Words to avoid if you want your writing to be taken seriously”
– Brilliantology on that list of synonyms for “said” that is doing the rounds today.
Back in the day, I was a business journalist, and it was drilled into me that the only way anyone ever vocalises words out of their mouth is to “say” them. The use of any other word was...
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"A narwhal" is quickly becoming my stock answer...
The Girlfriend: Do you want anything from the shops??
Me: A narwhal
Me: Failing that, a Creme Egg
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“THE girlfriend of Alfie Patten yesterday rubbished claims the 13-year-old did...”
– Remember Alfie, that 13-year-old boy who apparently “fathered” a daughter a couple of months back?
And then how a few other local lads, all teenagers but older than Alfie, came forward to say that they’d also slept with Chantelle, which she denied vehemently, as per the above...
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Today’s run:
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 40:05 minutes
Mile Pace: 8:53
Notes: You see, this is why I love the IRC. This lunchtime I was sitting at my desk, contemplating whether to go to the gym or not, when jss’s post on IRC popped up on my Dashboard. It motivated me to get off my ass and go for a run, rather than just sitting in front of the computer and aimlessly surfing.
...
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It’s just gone 1pm, and my head has been in holiday mode since I got into the office 5 hours ago. Pretty much done fuck all today, which is ever so slightly less than normal.
Why can’t 5.30pm get here quicker, dammit?!
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“I think I will stop at the end of 2007. My body is already giving me a lot of problems.” - Kim Clijsters, August 2005
“When I take a decision, I stick to it.” - Kim Clijsters, November 2006
“This is it - you’d better believe it”, Kim Clijsters, responding to questions about her upcoming retirement, January 2007
“It has been more than beautiful...
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This is the second day in a row that after-work drinks with friends have been cancelled at the last minute because the other party can’t make it. As it turns out, I spent the whole of yesterday afternoon in a restaurant and pub for work purposes, so wouldn’t have been much company anyway…
It’s just annoying that I’m trying to make the effort to keep up with my...
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Discussing walking everywhere whilst in Paris
The girlfriend: we can get a tube to the centre of paris
Me: pffft, wuss
Me: how will you see all the pretty boutiques if we're underground?
The girlfriend: Its prob best if I don't see all the pretty boutiques
The girlfriend: I'm not going to be able to afford to buy anything!
Me: awwwwww
Me: i'll buy you something
Me: a crepe
Me: or a cape. that would be better
The girlfriend: you are too kind
The girlfriend: a cape?
The girlfriend: good luck finding one
Me: yes. like superman
The girlfriend: i think those may have gone out of fashion in the 1890s :)
Me: well, YOU are going to bring them back
Me: see also: monocles, pocket watches and ruffles
Me: and canes
The girlfriend: all at once?
The girlfriend: i'll look like a dodgy shorter version of sherlock holmes!
Me: nope, that would require a deerstalker hat
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I don’t go on holiday until early on Friday morning, but my mind is already in holiday mode at work. I really just can’t be bothered with doing too much, or getting anything started that may drag on for a few days.
These will be my first days off since the New Year, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m off to Paris with the girlfriend, going by Eurostar on Friday...
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“Hello Rob, thank you for your comments.”
– The sum total of the response by the journalist in question (Jonathan Prynn) to my email of last night.
Ah well, at least he read it. Probably.
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I read the below article on my way home this evening, and was thoroughly annoyed by it. I have written a lengthy response to it, which I have sent to the journalist in question, and the letters page of his newspaper. That response is published below the reproduction of the article itself.
Shoppers hit by inflation shock Jonathan Prynn 24.03.09
SOARING prices and a weak pound have brought...
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As I was making my way home last night, I realised that I was carrying a small fortune’s worth of just stuff in my backpack. I normally have a couple of items on me that add up to a decent amount, but last night there were some extras:
Mobile (Sony Ericsson C905), approx value £250
Work Blackberry (Curve), approx value £150
iPod (4G Classic), approx value £150
iPod Shuffle, approx...
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City dwellers have smaller carbon footprints,... →
The report by London-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) looked at 11 major cities on four continents, including London, Tokyo, New York and Rio de Janeiro.
It found per capita greenhouse gas emissions for a Londoner in 2004 were the equivalent of 6.2 tonnes of CO2, compared with 11.19 for the UK average.
In the US, New Yorkers register footprints of...
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“Jade Goody dies. P1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 , and 16-page pullout”
– In The Sun this morning, according to The Guardian’s daily Media Briefing email.
For reference purposes, the Daily Mail had four pages, the Star five, the Express six, and the Mirror seven. Hell, even the Financial Times mentioned her death on Sunday.
Nothing like saturation...
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Ugh. I had one of those nights where I barely caught a wink of sleep. My brain just would not shut up; it was like I had a week’s worth of thoughts in one fell swoop.
Plus I was alternately hot and cold, which points to the onset of a cold as well. Hence I feel like shit today.
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I had a Chicken Tarka the other night; it’s like a Chicken Tikka, but a little ‘otter.
Booyah!
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RJD2 - A Beautiful Mine
Also known as the theme...
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Managed to get to the gym again today:
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 41:15 minutes
Mile Pace: 9:10
Notes: My longest run for quite some time, achieved by reducing my pace a little. I think I’m going to take this approach from now on, as I was still feeling pretty fresh by the end, and only stopped because I had to get back to the office.
I managed to put in 13.75 miles on the bike yesterday...
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“The health scare that led to the closure of Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck...”
– Via BBC News
I bet it was the tastiest norovirus that anyone’s ever eaten though.
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Myself and hannahcooper are planning a London Tumblr meetup on Thursday 16th April in “trendy Clerkenwell” (she said to add that)…
So, if you’re in London, reblog this (spread the word) so we can get an idea of who you are, numbers etc.
The stickers are almost ours people, let’s make this happen!
dubliner
What he said!
Let us know if you’re game....
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Also irritating: People who use “literally” when they should use “virtually” and people who use the word “irregardless”.
jss
Fuck it, I’ll rant. See also:
“I could care less” This is wrong, people. Beyonce, I’m looking at you. Think about it logically. The phrase in theory is meant to highlight that the subject is of complete unimportance to you, so much so...
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Language irritations part 94: People who use “defiantly” when they mean “definitely”.
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Today’s run, via internetrunningclub:
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25 minutes
Mile Pace: Started at 8:30, gradually improved to 8:08
Notes: With one thing and another, I did absolutely no exercise at all last week, but did drink copious amounts of booze. This was my first session in over a week, and I had that odd dual experience of enjoying it but hating it at the same time. It was hard...
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“I had some “corned beef” in England once. It came in a can, WITH A KEY to open...”
– In Tea We Trust
[Spits out his tea in amazement]
British-style Corned beef is amazing! The fun bit is trying to use that damned key to open the bloody thing, and then (when it snaps off) resorting to a big knife and nearly taking off one of your fingers. It’s what we do. No squirty cheese...
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Every time I eat a banana, I feel a little bit gay. It’s just so relentlessly phallic.
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Joke Of The Day
Q: What's worse than finding half a worm in your apple?
A: The Holocaust.
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“They really are wheeling out the celebs in this one, aren’t they?”
– The girlfriend, as Stephen Hawking appeared on screen during an advert for nsandi.com savings accounts. He was the third or fourth famous face in that advert to say something about how good an investment they can be, or something.
That would be the wheelchair-bound Stephen Hawking.
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I tend not to write about work on here all that often, if I can help. Not because I’m trying to hide anything, but because it’s not really who I am. I know that many people define themselves by their jobs and their career, but I’m not one of them.
I enjoy my job, absolutely, but it’s not the first thing I want to talk about. I find a million other things more interesting...
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Monday’s To Do List:
Buy my sister’s 21st birthday present.
Buy my dad’s birthday present. 55th, I think.
Buy a Mother’s Day card. Same day as my dad’s birthday, which is handy for remembering.
Buy an anniversary card for my parents.
Post the last of the postcards to fellow Tumblrs.
Go to the gym for the first time in over a week.
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“[The Arsenal fans] had also given Nicklas Bendtner a rousing ovation when he was...”
– Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn Rovers | The Guardian
It’s true, we gave him a massive send-off, and it’s also true that he missed an absolute hatful of chances. On another day, he could’ve scored five, if only for a slightly better touch or a slightly more accurate shot on each...
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