Rob, Rambling - A lot of things interest me...

With some inopportune planning, I’m missing the first home game of Arsenal’s season tomorrow, by virtue of being up in Newcastle for a mate’s stag do, which will no doubt involve adding to the general level of punishment under which my liver exists.

The plan for the weekend seems pretty open: a whole lot of drinking on Saturday, with some mystery “fun activities” thrown in. I know we’re going to a cricket match on Sunday, but don’t have a clue what the obligatory fancy dress will be, and then Monday is theoretically for recovering. Although our flights aren’t until the evening, so there’s opportunity for a beer or seven in there as well…

Wish me luck!

Because I’m an idiot, I managed to lose my iPod on Friday evening as I made my way home. With my memory a little hazy and booze-addled, I’m not sure exactly where. What’s odd is that my headphones made it back with me, but not the iPod.

Hopefully, it’ll be covered by my insurance, but in any case I need to get myself a new mp3 player. My shuffle just isn’t enough for me.

I had the older 80GB version, so the iPod Classic 160GB is winking at me. Can anyone recommend any other players somewhere in the region of 80GB+?

Things that are currently happening in my office:

• Someone has just done a coffee run, and now everyone is topping up said coffees with wee drams of whiskey, from the handy bottle that lives on our desk.

• But not me because I don’t like a) coffee and b) whiskey. I’m drinking water.

• But I did manage to squeeze in 3 pints at lunchtime.

My cousin is staying at my flat next week whilst doing some work experience in the girlfriend’s newsroom, and we’ve been racking our brains trying to think of things to do with her. She’s not from London, and I doubt that she’s spent much time here at all before. Thankfully she’s over 18, so there’s always the fall-back of bars and restaurants, but it’d be good to do something else as well.

So far, all we have booked in is the London Zoo late evening on Friday 13th, which I’m really looking forward to. The similar evening at the Science Museum was fantastic, and I haven’t been to London Zoo for years. Throw in some booze, and I’m set. Anyone else fancy it?

It’s always somewhat satisfying to have your alcohol-fuelled memory gaps filled in a couple of days later by one of your co-drinkers, and even more satisfying to find out that you neither embarrassed yourself and nor were you the most drunk there.

Phew!