• 13:45 Had a massive brunch, off for a sneaky beer before heading off to meet everyone else!

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• 11:25 About to get a few hours' kip before beer drinkage commences.
• 17:47 More beer, in a jazz bar this time. - Photo: bkite.com/07Vho
• 17:57 Meant to tweet about the fabulous döner kebab we had earlier, but was far too busy eating it.
• 18:05 The wonkiest pool table in Berlin. - Photo: bkite.com/07Vji
• 22:14 Drinking in a bar which is decorated like your nan's lounge. - Photo: bkite.com/07VKj

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• 18:12 Just finished packing for our Berlin trip, cooking chilli and then off for a couple of hours kip before The Apprentice!
• 02:39 Coffee for our epic wait for our flight. - Photo: bkite.com/07Uc8
• 05:05 In the queue to get on the plane. 30 minutes to boarding.

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Well, almost.

We've had a lovely couple of days. We picked Soy up Wednesday night, drove home, had some toast and a chat and went to bed. Yesterday we went into Galway for a bit of shopping, went for a meal in Spiddal where we had gourmet pizzas - Soy and I both went for one with whole cloves of roasted garlic on, and I ended up eating most of Soy's garlic too, much to Landers' dismay - and then for pudding Soy and Landers had chocolate and beetroot brownies. Soy wasn't convinced, so I swapped some of my beautiful lemon tart for some of her brownie. I thought it was quite nice! Preferred my tart, though...

Home via the Duggans' for coffee, and an evening of sorting out music for our drive to Dublin tonight. The playlist ended up being rather long, so it'll do for the drive home, too!

Today was spent having breakfast, making t-shirts and attending a birthday party for a 3 year old. Back home, I made chilli, Landers packed our stuff for our trip to Berlin and Soy had a little sleep (until, I suspect, Landers went and started the car to test his new holder for his iPhone).

The plan now is to have a little tidy-up in the kitchen, watch The Apprentice while eating chilli, and then set off for Dublin airport FAAAR too early with a bloody good soundtrack.

We'll get to the airport for about midnight, and our flight isn't until gone 6am. Six hours waiting in the airport... should be interesting. Not. At least we'll be first in the queue for the plane...

I've been warned that Soy intends to sulk. I might join in.

Due to land at 9:30ish local time, and we shall endeavor not to fall asleep on our feet. Maybe an afternoon kip would be good, but we'll all have to set alarms to avoid a reoccurrence of last year, when we went for a nap in the evening and woke up at lunchtime the next day.

So, next time I blog, I shall probably be in Berlin! Woo!

Auf wiedersehen!

• 12:08 Listening to Green Day's new album. Wailing along cos I don't know the words yet. Oooh I love loud music!
• 15:26 Just had to disable comments on a wordpress post that was being spammed to death. "Mark as spam" didn't seem to do anything useful.
• 17:36 Trying to work up the energy to hoover the stairs.

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Right! Housework (almost) done, with many breaks for internettage and Iron Man watchage.

Just time for a crisp butty and a shower (not at the same time) before we go to collect Soy from Shannon airport.

Catch you later!

The boats arrived into the docks in Galway early on Sunday morning, and Green Dragon, the Irish/Chinese team (I know!) made it into third place.

Just take a look at the size of the crowd that was there at 4am to see them come in!

The atmosphere must have been amazing. And also cold.

They're here for two weeks, the race is next weekend while we're in Berlin, but I should be able to see highlights on the official site.

Looking forward to a trip round the docks tomorrow!

• 11:56 Watching "Role Models". Very gigglesome, so far...
• 12:33 Feeling so juvenile laughing at double entendres in "Role Models"... But laughing all the same!
• 16:37 I need to tidy the kitchen, hoover, make @soyster's bed... maybe a bath first.
• 19:44 This song made me smile, and think of @LandersIE. Jason M'raz - I'm Yours ? blip.fm/~6y6k9
• 19:46 RT @whecca: Have just googled Bukkake. Wish i hadn't...
• 00:35 Off to bed; I've got a shitload of housework to do before @Soyster arrives tomorrow!

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• 12:47 Infuriatingly addictive game involving a penguin, hang-gliders and rockets! bit.ly/i7BLn
• 21:30 Totally full to bursting with Chinese food - but it was worth it!
• 21:37 Why are gay people on #Casualty always so stereotypically camp and annoying? *sigh*
• 22:09 I just ate another prawn cracker. May have been a massive mistake. May explode.
• 22:23 Have just been accused of being dead inside for not being upset at something that hasn't happened in Ugly Betty yet...
• 01:06 Roight. Bed. Hope I can sleep tonight!

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• 13:26 What to have for lunch - leftover potato crap from last night, or lovely fresh baguettes done on the George Formby...
• 13:44 Huh. Just found out that season 1 of #Fringe finished. It wasn't much of a finale...
• 14:19 Bollocks, my joke was too long. Will edit and repost.
• 14:22 73 year old woman done for streaking at the Chelsea Flower Show. She got a caution, but won 1st prize for Best Dried Arrangement.
• 14:54 Oooh last episode of season 4 of #Supernatural is a good'un! Will he/won't he? Is she/isn't she?
• 14:59 Lillith's host's mouth is FAR too wide... #Supernatural
• 15:04 Got the heating on to dry some washing - it's a bit warm in here now! *wipes brow*
• 15:13 Nooooooooo! You can't end it there! DAMN YOU! When does season 5 start?!! #Supernatural
• 15:24 Ah. OK, just realised I haven't actually watched the last episode of season 1 of Fringe yet... duh!
• 16:01 Are you bringing your laptop to Oireland?
• 18:17 iPhone 32GB model outed? is.gd/CknB
• 19:16 Just spent several long seconds wondering where the child's jumper I just pulled out of the washing machine came from. Yep, I've shrunk it.
• 20:36 Definitely glad I decided to give #Dollhouse a second chance - the second half of the series is a vast improvement on the first!
• 22:45 Check out the current position of the boats headed for Galway in the Volvo Ocean Race - volvooceanrace.geovoile.com/
• 05:02 It's just turned 5am and I've yet to fall asleep. It's almost full daylight. Bah.

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Some of you may know already that the Volvo Ocean Race is coming to Galway this weekend. They started in Alicante, Spain in October 2008, and will finish in Saint Petersburg, Russia sometime towards the end of June. The boats left Boston last week, and they're speeding towards Ireland as I type.

It's quite a big event - there's only four boats left in the race, but the other teams have come to meet the remaining competitors here. Galway has gone all out (although most of the preparations have been left to the last minute) and there are two weeks of partying planned. All the shops and pubs have banners up, supporting the Irish/Chinese team "Green Dragon", and the atmosphere is very festive. The change in the docks is stunning since they've spent such a short time doing them up. Challenge Anneka has nothing on Galway City Council!

The opening ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow, although the boats are running late and not expected to arrive until Sunday now.

I wasn't all that bothered when I first heard about it. I'm not all that interested in boats, and certainly not boat racing. But I've found that the closer they've got to us, the more excited I've become! At every major stopover, they have an in-port race, and the one in Galway is on the 30th. Unfortunately, we'll be in Berlin so we'll miss it. I'd have loved to have seen it, but to be honest, I bet the city will be a nightmare to get around - it's bad enough when we're not hosting an international sporting event! The Red Arrows are doing a display, and I've not seen them since I was a kid, so I'm pretty gutted to be missing that too.

Oh well, I'll just have to make sure I have a fantastic time in Berlin to make up for it! Maybe I can watch the race online or something. At least we'll be around when they arrive and when they leave.

If you're interested, you can see the current position of the yachts here, click on the zoom out icon towards the top to see where they are in relation to Ireland. Not long now!

If you'd like some more information on the race, the Wikipedia page is quite good.

Not that I want to give the impression that I do nothing but watch telly all day, but why can't the studios stagger their series a bit more?!

It's bad enough that they put breaks in the middle of runs, but now they're all finishing at once! Prison Break, Heroes, Supernatural, Ugly Betty, Fringe, Lost, Dollhouse - all ending within weeks of one another. What am I supposed to watch now?!

There's some bits and pieces to look forward to. Dexter and the new Stargate Universe are due out much later this year.

Maybe I should, like, go for a walk, or something...

• 13:21 OMFG the train from Manchester to Hull is SOOOOO expensive! It'll be cheaper (not to mention more convenient) to hire a car!
• 13:27 Ok, just realised that the cheap advance tickets are only available 12 weeks in advance, I'll look again next week. *phew*
• 17:19 Catching up on the last two episodes of season 4 of Supernatural. Exciting! #supernatural
• 22:26 How does John Altman get ANY work?! He's such a shite actor!

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• 17:31 Please help my brother raise cash for BHF - is.gd/qkSX (Please RT) #jogle
• 21:05 Hope Debra and Ben are on the same team this week so they can both go in a double firing... #apprentice
• 21:14 My sister would have bought those horrid shoes for her daughter... #apprentice
• 21:18 Those helmets... WHO would buy one?! #apprentice
• 21:18 Cardboard cots... wouldn't they just dissolve in baby dribble?! #apprentice
• 21:28 If you need a foam helmet to protect your baby, I'm calling social services on you... #apprentice
• 21:31 RT @EggBanana: Awww - your toddler looks so sweet in a "tard-hat"! #apprentice
• 21:33 "I feel like I've backed a horse that's died" - James, they're not real horses! #apprentice
• 21:34 They're in the board room early... double firing? #apprentice
• 21:38 Woo! Come one, Debra and Ben on the ropes! Please please please... #apprentice
• 21:38 Lorraine looks like a caricature already! #apprentice
• 21:40 So, it was nothing to do with the fact that you pushed and pushed for the rocking horses, Debra and Ben? #apprentice
• 21:51 Yeah, there's a reason you've been in the boardroom so often, Debs... #apprentice
• 21:54 Come on, Surralan, BURN THE WITCH! #apprentice
• 21:56 I'm surprised James didn't burst into tears, then! Wish it'd been Debra, but it's a start. Debra next week, please Surralan! #apprentice
• 23:09 Tiiiime for beeeeeeed. [/town crier]

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Full of these, most I'd seen before but this one made me laugh!

An email forwarded to me by my mommy:

---

Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then on the way home grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab to sit on a Swedish sofa and watch USA shows on a Japanese TV, and most of all being suspicious of anything foreign.

Oh, and only in Britain can you get a pizza to your home faster than an ambulance. Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain their pens to the counter. Also supermarkets make sick people walk to the back of the shop for prescriptions whilst healthy people get their fags at the front of the shop. We might be British but by fuck, we're funny!!

• 13:18 Feeling very civilised, eating paté and toast (cut into triangles with the crusts removed) for lunch.
• 15:48 The view from where I'm supping coffee. - Photo: bkite.com/07CAT
• 15:54 Only problem with being sat on the riverbank is all the bloody insects. Just felt something crawl down my arsecrack.
• 15:58 To beer or not to beer? I've got to drive soon, and I don't normally like to have even one...
• 16:00 Has Patrick Swayze died?
• 16:10 Think have been forgotten by waitress. Does that mean I don't have to pay?
• 19:41 So, Palm are releasing the Pre two days before the new iPhone is expected to be announced. Is that wise?
• 22:45 I love my new specs! Will do piccies tomorrow, far too tired for such malarky at present.
• 23:06 The Polar Bear in Lost sounds like Battlecat from He-Man.
• 23:22 Aaahahahahaaaaa! is.gd/BrTj
• 23:47 If I tried this, I'll probably do some major damage to my spine: excercise ball flip - is.gd/zhfl

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• 17:56 My lovely new glasses and free sunglasses will be ready at 4:30 tomorrow. Yay!

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This time next week, we'll have just picked up Soy from the airport, beginning her epic length visit incorporating our trip to Berlin! Yeah, baby!

We've had a busy few days, so I suppose I'd better do a quick post about what we've been up to.

We spent Friday at a mates' house, it's a guy Landers works with. We spent the afternoon on WoW and the evening on wine. Much wine. And wheat beer. And crisps. Landers thinks it was a dodgy crisp that made him feel so rough the next day. I'll let you make of that what you will.

Oh, and I kicked ass at Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Yes, on one round I may have crashed out before the £1000 mark (I mean honestly, who knew "Isle of Man" was a patterned jumper? Or was it "Isle of Wight"...), but in total cash, I won. Then we played as a group and got the million. Shame it wasn't for real.

Saturday was spent window shopping. I was pricing up tellies, and Landers was pricing up George Formbys* and bowl mixers. We found a cracking deal on a SCHWEEET Samsung telly, but decided that in the end we don't need one, and we should save up for one rather than just splurging on it cos we have some cash, which should really go on other things like electricity bills anyway.

We didn't buy a mixer, or a George Formby. I did buy a jam funnel, which is something I've been after for a while. And Landers sneaked off and bought a lovely set of glasses I've had my eye on for a while, bless him.

On Sunday, we went to different shops to look for the same things. We ended up at Tesco and spend just under €200 on crap, including terracotta plant pots, coasters and *drumroll* a George Formby, along with plenty of things to cook on it. Experimented with many toasted tortillas.

We tried another shop, but still no joy on the mixer front. We did, however, buy a bed. Ours broke in October (I shall NOT be elaborating) and we've been using the one out of the spare room apart from when we've 1) had guests or 2) I've been to lazy to bring it into our room. Much of the time, we've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor. So we bought a replacement, at a bargainous €129. I hope it lasts until we move out. We were in Landers' car, and although it's bigger than mine, his seats don't fold down, so there was no way we were getting a bed in it, flatpack or not. We could have had it delivered, but that costs extra, so we decided to go back in my car today to pick it up.

So, trip into Tuam this morning to pay bills at the post office, only to discover that the post office, like Lidl, don't accept visa cards. Fucking ridiculous in this day and age, but typical of the Irish independent way of thinking.

'We don't need your stinking ubiquitous standards of technology, we'll have our own private system so that we can charge a fortune for equipment and services and you'll have no choice but to pay! Muhahahaaaa!"

Seriously, we're getting digital telly, like freeview, but in a new format which is incompatible with standard hardware. This means that manufacturers have to make special stuff JUST for Ireland, and of course this means it'll cost a fucking fortune. Go Ireland! I'm surprised they use the standard UK plug sockets, our phone sockets are different.

[/rant]

So, no bills paid (we'll do it tomorrow!), we went to pick up the bed, which was painless enough, and then Landers decided he wanted to go into Galway to buy the mixer we saw on Saturday that he liked.

Back to Curry's, to discover there were none in stock. Bugger.

B&Q next for a bit of wood (we're attempting to repair the broken bed, just in case) and we were gobsmacked that they wouldn't cut it for us. So we bought a saw and Landers cut it in half in the carpark. Rarr, my big butch man.

Insipiration struck! Off to Argos, where we found the exact same mixer that Currys didn't have. And also, the next model up, at twice the price. Guess which one we went for? Hey, in our defense, this one has "100% bowl contact", apparently.

Then into town proper for an eye test. I've not had one for a couple of years, and the last time I had one my prescription hadn't changed and we couldn't justify spending money on new glasses for the sake of it, so I've had the same ones for four years now.

We were a bit early, so went to the brand new Burger King with the intention of sampling the Tex-mex burger they've been advertising. Only they've stopped doing it. Bugger, again.

Generic burger consumed (MAN I love BK chips!), we had our eyes tested. My prescription has changed slightly, bringing it in-line with my contact lens prescription (they don't have every single increment for contacts like they do for specs, so my lenses were stronger than they needed to be). Hurrah! New glasses!

As per usual, I wasn't feeling any of the reasonably priced frames, nor the more unreasonably prices ones, so I chose a funky new FCUK pair, and got a free Jasper Conran pair, which I'm having as sunglasses. Last time, I went for a single pair with "reactions" lenses (the ones that go tinted in sunlight), reasoning they'd kill two birds with one stone - great for all situations. Well, not so much. I had hoped I wouldn't need sunglasses for driving, but they "react" to ultraviolet light, and car windscreens are quite good at blocking that. So, unless I stick my head out of the window every now and then, they don't change in the car.

Also, when you walk into a building on a sunny day, you feel like you've gone blind. They take aaaages to change back.

So, no reactions for me this time, two pairs for the price of one, no extras, thank you very muchly. Ready to collect at 4:30pm tomorrow.

A trip to Dunnes, jeans for me, trainers for Landers. A pint while Landers tried several times to sort his laces out. A stop at the Duggans' for coffee and a chat. A drive home. A bed assembled. Some meringues made (in the new mixer). Some television watched. More food George Fomby'd. Some wee cleaned up by Landers (I shouted at Hillie for scavenging in the kitchen bin and she proceeded to pee everywhere out of fear and make me feel bad). A blog post written.

The end. Off to try out the new bed.

*Yes, I know it's a George Foreman. Landers once thought a PS3 was a George Foreman. He thought it odd that someone would have one sat on top of their television.

• 22:00 Can anyone recommend a good Mac torrent client that lets you search RSS feeds and specify download locations?
• 23:42 Just finished Dawn French's autobiography, "Dear Fatty". Lovely read, lovely woman.
• 00:10 Right. Time for baguette and real butter. Alas, no wine.

Automagically posted by LoudTwitter

• 20:21 This French bird looks like she's come straight here from the club she went to last night... #Eurovision
• 20:25 Swedish entry looks like a very scary and intense Ulrika Johnsson. #Eurovision
• 20:28 RT @the_matty_boosh: Its a ringer - the Swede is a dude. "She's" got hairy hands #eurovision
• 20:29 Mr Croatia looks a bit simple, bless him. #Eurovision
• 20:30 RT @alicestronaut: backing singers suffering from wind-blowing-hair-into-lipgloss syndrome #eurovision
• 20:33 Oooh, a nice healthy looking lass from Portugal. Wish I knew what she was saying. #Eurovision
• 20:35 Portugal should win just for smiley-drummy man. #Eurovision
• 20:37 I didn't know Melinda Messenger was from Iceland... #Eurovision
• 20:40 Talk about a bit of Greek...
• 20:41 Greece's entry is gayer than Scooch, and that's saying something. #Eurovision
• 20:45 Is anyone else seeing Shakespeare's Sister perform for Armenia? #Eurovision
• 20:47 Graham Norton = suckiest narration ever. #Eurovision
• 20:49 Is the Russian singer wearing a towel? #Eurovision
• 20:51 Ooh the hair thieves! They come in the night. STEAL your hair, they do, and sell it into slavery, in Azerbaijan.
• 20:52 If he's the best they could come up with, I feel sorry for the women of Azerbaijan... #Eurovision
• 20:55 Someone tell the Bosnians their drums aren't working... #Eurovision
• 20:57 What is the point in pretending to play instruments if you're not going to do it all the way through the song? #Eurovision
• 21:02 Have the Moldovan dancers got their jumpers tied round their waists? #Eurovision
• 21:03 What's that guy doing with the mop? #Eurovision
• 21:05 Ooh another healthy girl for Malta, bless their Mediterranean appetites. #Eurovision
• 21:06 I think the Malteser just took a bite out of the microphone... #Eurovision
• 21:09 This Estonian effort is kind of boring, but I like it. Rather worried about what that says about me... #Eurovision
• 21:11 Did she actually have a fiddle, or is it just like a security blanket? #Eurovision
• 21:12 I though they said Ronan wrote it, not that he was SINGING it... #Eurovision
• 21:13 Damn. Thought, not though.
• 21:15 Is that the Edge (from U2, not the pizza)? #Eurovision
• 21:16 Yeah, Germany aren't gonna win... #Eurovision
• 21:17 His shiny trousers are a crime against humanity. #Eurovision
• 21:18 RT @LandersIE: RT: #eurovision so that's what gok looks like without his specs (via @PaulPayneSpain) HAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!
• 21:18 Is she gonna sing? What was the point in her coming on stage? Bunch of arse. #Eurovision
• 21:20 It's Turkish Kiss! #Eurovision
• 21:21 It really IS Turkish Kiss! As if! Don't they know we've all heard it? Holly Valance covered it. Silly billies. #Eurovision
• 21:24 It's Bonnie Langford and a couple of midgets for Albania. #Eurovision
• 21:25 Is it wrong that I think the most disturbing thing about the Albanian in the turquoise bodysuit and sequins is his flares? #Eurovision
• 21:26 Awww did you see his little legs trembling under the strain?! #Eurovision
• 21:28 Norway's entry. That's an old man in a wig. #Eurovision
• 21:34 Wish the cameraman would actually focus on those Ukranian dancers... #Eurovision
• 21:34 Drumstick fail! #Eurovision
• 21:37 Has the Romanian singer got a tail? #Eurovision
• 21:39 Why was the Sydney Opera House in our opening montage thing? #Eurovision
• 21:40 Yeah, we're so not winning this year. *yawn* #Eurovision
• 21:43 RT @khytre: Adrew Loyd Webber isnt much of a lyricist is he. #eurovision (via @Rardio)
• 21:44 Oh, I love this already... #Eurovision
• 21:44 Ok, I tweeted too soon. There's rap. It's awful. #Eurovision
• 21:44 And I love it again! Just get rid of the twat in the cap, Finland! #Eurovision
• 21:48 Is that Duncan from Blue dancing for Spain? #Eurovision
• 21:58 Hmmm. I think I want Finland to win, followed by the Ukranian dancers. And third choice is Portugal. #Eurovision
• 22:02 A proviso - I want Finland to win if they drop the twat in the cap. #Eurovision
• 22:03 The Swedish entry is growing on me every time I hear it... #Eurovision
• 22:05 Seriously, did the Estonian girl actually use the fiddle at any point? #Eurovision
• 22:06 And what was Dita von Teese actually there for? Can we just stick a random celebrity on stage next year for more votes? #Eurovision
• 22:07 They should get people who can act if they're gonna do little skits... #Eurovision
• 22:11 I'm just waiting for one of those poor guys to vomit on the audience... #Eurovision
• 22:15 One of them is gonna hit their face and get a spectacular nosebleed in a second. #Eurovision
• 22:16 Andew Lloyd Webber looks like a burn victim. #Eurovision
• 22:18 Is it gonna be Fearne Cotton with our scores again? Hope not. #Eurovision
• 22:24 It looks good for the UK at the moment, but just wait 'til the political voting kicks in. #Eurovision
• 22:28 Who are Greece gonna give 12 points to, since Cyprus didn't get through to the final? #Eurovision
• 22:30 Spain wasn't THAT bad, but no points yet... Ah well, I bet Portugal give em some. #Eurovision
• 22:34 Spain's neighbour, Andorra, give them 12 points. What a surprise. #Eurovision
• 22:36 I didn't know Toyah Wilcox was Bulgarian... #Eurovision
• 22:38 Apparently having a celebrity on stage isn't a vote-winner, Germany. Live and learn, eh? #Eurovision
• 22:38 Ooh look, it's Duncan from Blue. Quick change from his dancing for Spain. #Eurovision
• 22:45 Feeling very bad for slagging off Greek's voting history now... #Eurovision
• 22:53 12 points to Greece from Cyprus? Really? #Eurovision
• 22:59 No, Graham, Denmark had 4 points... #Eurovision
• 22:59 It's Boris Johnson! #Eurovision
• 23:03 RT @davidschneider: The Norwegian boy might lose his virginity tonight. The Albanian dwarves have their eyes on him #Eurovision
• 23:05 So, we just need 190 points from the next two votes, and we've won! #Eurovision
• 23:09 Slightly better & less political voting this year from most countries, although I don't think Norway's song was all that good... #Eurovision

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• 09:48 Off out to stay with friends, dropping the dogs off on the way.

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• 10:30 Thinking about getting up.
• 00:18 So, yes. Angels and Demons. Enjoyed it more than the Da Vinci Code but not as much as many other films. Nice images of Rome and the Vatican.

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• 11:33 Make your mind up, is she next door or is she two doors down? Honestly. ? blip.fm/~66gs9
• 11:59 Our coffee pot punishes impatient pouring by dribbling all over the place if you try to fill your cup too fast. It is truly evil.
• 12:35 Man I hope Twitter decides to #fixreplies - I hate the way stuff just appears in my "mentions" tab now!
• 15:55 Hey, I just saw an @ reply to someone not on my friends list... have the Twitter peeps seen the error of their ways? #fixreplies
• 18:48 The cows have just come to call for the dogs.
• 19:06 Cooking pasta, listening to Madeleine Peyroux. ? blip.fm/~67ahl
• 19:53 RT @LandersIE: Ace new tattoo forum! www.inkin.tk If you join you'll be able to see that tattoo in my naughty place ;) (Please retweet!)
• 20:43 How is it that people started following me while Twitter was down?!
• 21:08 Oooh I can't decide who I dislike more - Ben or Deborah. Shame they're not on the same team, only one can be in the firing line. #apprentice
• 21:09 Gay people may spend more on holidays, but they don't spend it going to Margate! #apprentice
• 21:11 Ooh! Twam is a word! It means "twitter spam". I live in Twitter Spam!
• 21:14 RT @TimMorris: RT: I bet they come up with something called 'Mar-Gay'...idiots. (via @gregjames) #apprentice
• 21:18 You couldn't pay me enough to make me fake-dance for a camera... #apprentice
• 21:20 RT @teh_kween: is Mona diplomatic or genuinely oblivious? Either way, she's failing slightly... #apprentice
• 21:22 "And you knew that, didn't you." HA! #apprentice
• 21:29 If it's so clear, why did they have to ask? #apprentice
• 21:31 Team Margayte are in the firing line tonight, for sure. #apprentice
• 21:32 Lorraine should never smile, her mouth looks upside down... #apprentice
• 21:34 I don't think I've ever seen a more annoyed looking Mayor in my life... #apprentice
• 21:45 I hate the way Mona says "gay". #apprentice
• 21:48 James is toast. #apprentice
• 21:52 Ok, Debra might have just shot herself in the foot... I hope! #apprentice
• 21:55 Doh, so I was totally wrong. I don't think Mona deserved to go, though. #apprentice
• 23:45 Reet. Bedtime. Man, it's not even midnight, I'm such a dweeb.

Automagically posted by LoudTwitter

Just watched The Apprentice with narration courtesy of Twitter.

Some Twitter clients (and also some websites) let you search for keywords in current tweets, so I just sat and every so often checked to see what people were tweeting about The Apprentice, and it was brilliant! There was a great deal of shite, but some absolute gems went scrolling past. I can't remember any of them now, but they were very funny. Many of them were along the lines of what I was thinking, but the tweeters were just much faster off the mark than me.

I started following a few people, and some started following me so clearly there's a fair few people who use Twitter in this way.

It's cool seeing what so many other people are thinking about something you're watching - quite an odd feeling actually! Stream of consciousness sort of thing. Except it's other people's consciousnesses.

• 12:01 I think I'm teething. The gum around one of my wisdom teeth is all swollen and tender.
• 14:19 Argh! Maths fail! is.gd/pAIp
• 17:58 RT @RealRobMugabe: Sexual Health Day here. Running ad campaign with the slogan, "How do you solve a problem like gonorrhea?"
• 18:23 Important information for cat owners: is.gd/yE2D #catyodelling
• 18:48 Check this out - a live feed of current sweary people on Twitter. You can look yourself up, too! cursebird.com/
• 18:53 Apparently people don't say cunt, dick, cock, bollocks or bloody as much as fuck, shit or bitch. Interesting. #cursebird
• 19:36 Remembered not to pre-heat the oven for my pizza this time. Win!
• 23:35 Let me jump on this very worthy bandwagon and say #theBNParetwats. But then again, so are most politicians.
• 00:19 Right. Starting the OSX 10.5.7 update downloading, and off to bed. Nuh-night!

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Peggle is out for the iPhone/iTouch!

Here's a link direct to iTunes for you. £2.99!

Earlier on, Soyunperdedor tweeted this link which she said came from Nick.

I found it most amusing, not least because Landers and I have witnessed lemurs doing that before at the zoo at Drayton Manor when the sun came out. And one of them was wearing a medallion. Very surreal.

Anyway anyway anyway, in the process of looking at a gabillion other videos on that site, I came across these highly scientific and informative discourses on cat ownership, including an instructional video about cat yodelling.

I was a bit bemused at first, but the second I saw him shaking that first cat I was sold. Seriously, stick with them!

You can skip to about 1:10 on this one, unless you really want to watch the boring stuff.

My cats just purr. I'm obviously not annoying them enough, but I'm not doing that until I've fashioned a set of the safety devices featured in the second video.

• 10:17 Time for walkies! But without the dogs this time.
• 12:04 Quite possibly the very best kebab place in the world. 17 days and counting! mustafas.de/
• 16:13 The girls have come to watch the dogs play catch. twitpic.com/4zcni
• 17:13 I hear this, and all I see is dancing lemurs. "I Like to Move It" - Reel2Reel ? blip.fm/~61tl4
• 17:28 Things I didn't know number 3648: coriander = cilantro.
• 22:49 New series of Ideal on BBC3 now. Marvellous!

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Very NSFW! Don't click if there's kids about!

This site gives equally compelling arguments for and against improving the camera featured in the iPhone.

Nick, don't look, you'll only be upset by all the penises again.

Via Gizmodo.

On asking the poor man on the phone why I was able to sign up to XBox Live Gold on the internet, but when I wanted to cancel I had to call a phone number and face a barrage of questions relating to why I wanted to cancel and telling me how great the service was and how I should sign up for the annual subscription cos it was better value, he told me that it was for my "security".

Not sure how that works. I can anonymously sign up to give them money from the comfort of my armchair via my laptop or directly from an XBox 360 console, but when I want to STOP giving them money, I suddenly have to prove who I am by speaking to a real person.

If it's a security issue, surely it would be better to get me to confirm my identity BEFORE they took my money!

The real reason? They hope to shame you into not cancelling by reading scripts at you, and squeeze a few more cents out of you by charging you for a phone call.

Robbing bastards. Microsoft? Micro$oft more like. What a shady way to operate.

Landers' mom and her friend Wendy came to visit last Sunday, and we had a great time showing them the sights. We seemed to spend the entire time eating and drinking, but the food was all fantastic. We found a few new spots to take people to for lunch and whatnot, or to just spoil ourselves.

There's the cafe at the beautifully located craft village at Spiddal, where they have freshly made pizzas or the biggest sandwiches you've ever seen, with big glasses of wine, at a very reasonable price. There's the Hungry Monk cafe in Cong where they have baps of the bread variety with scrumptious fillings, and home-made Baileys cheesecake. We had tried to blag our way into the very swish Ashford Castle hotel for a coffee with the story that we were planning a wedding, but there was a wedding on and there was a guy on the bridge with a guest list. Bah.

We also ate at the Pier Head in Kinvarra, who have the best mussells and chowder. It's pricy, but the food is fantastic. This time, however, the service was utter shite. The waiter seemed arrogant, bored and uninterested. I should point out that he wasn't Irish - I don't think I've ever had bad service in a restaurant from an Irish person. Don't get me started on supermarkets, though...

We ordered food - mussells for Landers and his mom, chowder for me and a mushroom salad for Wendy - and asked for the wine list since he hadn't brought it over. When he did, he very hastily explained that they were in the middle of updating the wine selection and many of the wines were unavailable. I don't have a problem with that, but the way he said it made us feel like we were being really awkward for wanting a bottle of wine. Landers was driving so opted for a diet coke.

When he came to take our drinks order, he brusquely said something along the lines of "I only have one portion of mussells". That was it, no apology, no suggestions or anything. Landers changed his order to calamari and chorizo which was fine by him, but even so, the way the waiter said it again made it seem like it was our fault they had run out.

So, we sat and waited for our food and drinks. We watched him take drinks over to another table. We watched him stand behind the bar chatting to what I presume were regulars. We watched him looking at photos on their phone. We watched him take food and drinks to yet another table.

We didn't watch him open a bottle of wine or pour a diet coke. I had to ask him for the drinks when he brought the food over, and received such a dirty look, it was as if I'd told him he was a stupid twat. Which to be fair is what I was thinking. Even then, he didn't bring the diet coke, and we had to ask again.

The food was superb. Landers said he's tempted to order the calamari in preference to the mussells next time, but I don't think he'll be able to resist them personally. We ate, drank, chatted and paid. Needless to say, we didn't leave a tip. Hopefully he won't be there the next time we visit! It's a shame, because it's normally fantastic there, they can't do enough for you.

Walking round Galway, we stopped in at the Cheese Shop (capital letters!). It really stinks in there, but I suppose that's to be expected. We all chose some cheese - some really strong cheddar type stuff, some emmental, some feta and some goats' cheese (which had a piece of straw running through it for some unexplained reason). The great thing about that shop is you can have a chat with the people behind the counter, and they'll recommend stuff, and let you taste it. Much better than just buying a pre-packed block from Tesco. Landers' mom also bought some olives stuffed with almonds. The total came to just over €25! On cheese! We then went to the bakery across the street and bought some lovely fresh bread, and that was our tea sorted.

Other activities included going out for a night in Galway. We'd hoped to see the Weightless Astronauts at the Quays, but they often don't play on Bank Holiday weekends, and that was the case this time unfortunately.

We started at Tig Coilie, which is Gaelic for Colie's House or something similar. It's a little bar which doesn't have a band, but they have a corner where people turn up with instruments and play together if they want to. It's all traditional music and full of hippies and tourists, but it's a nice place. Always very busy!

From there, we went to the King's Head, which is in a building given as a gift to the guy who beheaded King Charles. They usually have a band on, and they did, but they were forgettable. One drink there, and we moved on to the Quays. There was a diddly band on when we arrived, but they finished up not long afterwards and there was a break. We stood chatting for a while, and then grabbed some seats when they became available. Landers pointed out the brother of one of the guys he looks after at work was there, but they didn't acknowledge each other.

Later, a couple of young lads took to the stage, with a guitar each. We didn't expect much, but they were bloody good! They did covers of a wide variety of stuff, and we all had a good sing-along before we went home. No idea what the act was called though, which is a shame. I'd like to see them again.

Other than that, we just sat around and drank lots of wine and chatted. A very productive visit all round!

Landers was at work last week, when the mother of the guy we saw in the Quays came in to visit her son. She very shyly asked him if he was gay, and when he confirmed it she said she thought he was, but her son had seen him in the Quays with a couple of women, neither of them looked old enough to be his mom. Landers called his mom and told her, and she WAS pleased!

• 19:23 Fucking spammers. 66 pages of spam comments to delete.

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• 08:55 Feeling guilty for causing tiredness and crankiness.
• 09:25 Thanks, Jesse, for getting mud all over my lovely clean jeans and t-shirt.

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• 18:10 At the flickies waiting for Star Trek to begin.
• 18:30 Landers has talked me into having an ice cream. Ben & Jerry's sundae, here I come!

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• 19:43 Trying to work out whether it's Tweetie or Twitter itself that's playing up...
• 23:07 Have been saying since around 4pm that I need to go and get something to eat. This has yet to occur.
• 00:18 You know it's windy when the air pressure in the pipes makes the water in the toilet bowl splash...
• 00:27 Orf to bed.

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For some reason only known to itself, Gmail has decided that email notifications of comment replies since last week are spam.

Just off to fish them out of the junk folder and see if I can make it behave itself.

I may do a post about our lovely long weekend, which involved much alchohol, spending over €25 on cheese, and some atrocious customer service. Then again, I may not.

EDIT:

Also found many many facebook notifications. Naughty Gmail!

• 16:08 Making chilli jam. Nom!

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• 11:05 twitpic.com/4ldwb - On the throne in the King's Head.

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• 10:39 A lovely soft Irish morning = it's raining. We're off to blag our way into Ashford Castle for coffee today.
• 12:15 Lough Corrib is quite choppy today! - Photo: bkite.com/078hf
• 13:03 The view from Cong. - Photo: bkite.com/078kP
• 20:27 Getting ready for a night out in Galway. Taaffes, The Kings' Head, The Bunch of Arse, The Quays, and anywhere else that takes our fancy!

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• 10:06 Waiting for the mother in law. - Photo: bkite.com/076c6

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• 16:31 Waiting for pizza!
• 20:37 We bought a cherry flavoured smelly candle today. It smelled nice in the shop. We lit it. It gave me a headache. Candle fail.
• 20:47 Waiting for a network unlock code to be emailed to Landers...
• 21:18 Just checked to see if the Astronauts are playing in the Quays on Sunday, but apparently it's Stevie Starr, World Famous Regurgitator. Hmm.
• 23:49 Song for hoovering stairs: Again & Again - The Bird and the Bee ? blip.fm/~5fxu5
• 00:47 Why on earth are ITV showing Osmosis Jones at 12:55am? It's for kids!

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• 12:57 There's a cow outside our house. Unattended.
• 14:34 Thank you Vodafone.ie for my free texts to any network. Thank you lovely Dashboard widget that lets me send texts via my laptop. #emitSMS
• 15:06 No wonder these Bachelors Baked Beans were on offer - they're tasteless!
• 15:50 Man, it's windy here today! The cows in the next field are going to have lovely clean sheets to lie on soon...
• 16:03 I'm wearing tracky bottoms and a scruffy t-shirt - do I need to get properly dressed in order to go and buy a Euromillions ticket?
• 17:15 Stuck in traffic on Gilmartin Road. *click* That sound was my doors, locking.
• 17:21 twitpic.com/4ca3o - Get out of the bloody road!
• 18:06 Say someone picked their feet while sat watching telly and then absentmindedly started biting their nails - would they get athlete's tongue?
• 18:15 Ooh, I've been invited out on a hot date tonight! Hope I get lucky!
• 20:24 Just so you know, cider vinegar, oil, garlic and coriander does *not* make a nice dressing for roast vegetables.
• 20:31 Right, I'd better go get ready for my date! Time for the three S's.
• 20:53 Getting ready to go out music: Kylie - Your Disco Needs You! ? blip.fm/~5d6nw
• 22:00 My left side is broken. I couldn't get my earring in that ear, and my contact lens wouldn't go in that eye.
• 23:37 Waiting to go into the late night showing of Wolverine.
• 02:51 A bit underwhelmed by Wolverine. Still, it gave us a giggle! What was with his claws?! And SO much green screen for no apparent reason...

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It's quite sunny but VERY windy here today. We've got Landers' mom and one of her friends coming to stay for a few days, so I've washed the sheets from the RowTheBoat suite and the SoyUnPerdedor suite, with the intention of hanging them on the line to dry.

Well. What a fucking palaver THAT was!

I've had to put about 87 pegs per pillowcase in an effort to stop them blowing away. I have been whipped in the face too many times to count, the cheap wooden pegs we've bought are exploding by the second, and I fully expect to find a cow wearing a duvet cover like a superman cape before the day is done.

I have ended up literally tying the sheets to the line. Big knots in the corners.

I think it might be a just a little bit too windy for line-drying. Oh well, on the plus side they'll all be dry in 17 seconds flat.

• 15:00 Right. Off to pay the rest of the rent!
• 19:41 Am reheating frozen homemade carrot and coriander soup. It does *not* look right. Sort of lumpy. Like sick.
• 20:08 Soup situation has vastly improved, and it's going down nicely with garlic bread.

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