First of all, the Sky One program "Lie To Me". It stars Tim Roth as the head of a team of four people who basically spot liars. They are hired by all sorts of people, companies, even the government, to help spot someone who is lying. They have been used to tell if a criminal has turned over a new leaf, to help find a missing child, to find out who stole company secrets. They do this by 'reading' people and the tell tale signs that show if they are lying or telling the truth. The can be the slightest of things - the slight widening of the nostrils, swallowing at the wrong point, a twitch of a hand. I know I have not done the show justice with that description, and you're probably thinking it sounds boring... but trust me, it's not. I'm completely hooked.
Tim Roth is superb as the lead 'interrogator', and some of the story lines have been very clever. Unfortunately, there aren't many episodes left, but you still have the chance to catch it tonight on Sky One at 22.00. I caught up on the last three episodes last night, and two of the episodes brought tears to my eyes... they are that good. Highly recommended.
The second thing that I'm into at the moment is the new album by Florence & The Machine, called "Lungs". Check it out.
Soundtrack of the day: duh....
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Monday, 6 July 2009
As I have nothing else to post about today...
... I thought I'd share the recipe I did on Saturday night: Sea bass & crushed new potatoes.
I got two fresh sea bass fillets from a certain orange branded supermarket, and some baby new potatoes. First of all, I boiled the new potatoes until they were done, as I knew the sea bass would not take long to cook. Once the spuds were done, I crushed them (kinda like mashing, but you only break them up into chunks, not into a smooth texture) and then added some extra virgin olive oil (not too much) freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.
Once the spuds were done, I heated a tablespoon of good quality olive oil in a frying pan, and when it was hot, put the sea bass fillets in skin side down. While they were cooking, I seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. After just three minutes, I turned the fillets over.
After two more minutes, I turned off the heat and let them cook for one more minute. Then serve.
Even if I say it myself, it was gorgeous, and the first time I've cooked sea bass. I recommend it very strongly. Even if you're nervous of cooking fish, it really was that easy.
Even though this isn't a cooking blog, if any of you want to share a recipe, send it to me via email and I'll post it up.
Peace.
I got two fresh sea bass fillets from a certain orange branded supermarket, and some baby new potatoes. First of all, I boiled the new potatoes until they were done, as I knew the sea bass would not take long to cook. Once the spuds were done, I crushed them (kinda like mashing, but you only break them up into chunks, not into a smooth texture) and then added some extra virgin olive oil (not too much) freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.
Once the spuds were done, I heated a tablespoon of good quality olive oil in a frying pan, and when it was hot, put the sea bass fillets in skin side down. While they were cooking, I seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. After just three minutes, I turned the fillets over.
After two more minutes, I turned off the heat and let them cook for one more minute. Then serve.
Even if I say it myself, it was gorgeous, and the first time I've cooked sea bass. I recommend it very strongly. Even if you're nervous of cooking fish, it really was that easy.
Even though this isn't a cooking blog, if any of you want to share a recipe, send it to me via email and I'll post it up.
Peace.
Friday, 3 July 2009
Damn my weak moral fibre
The weight loss is going crap. I know all the benefits of eating better, cutting out the beer, and starting exercise again. But I can't get my fat lazy arse in gear to do any of it. Part of the problem is the weather (although it is only a small part) because getting in from work when it's glorious and warm outside encourages me to sit in the garden with a good book and have a couple of cold beers. A cup of tea, or a glass of water, just isn't the same and you're a long time dead so why not enjoy it? But when I'm sitting at my desk and can feel my trousers restricting my blood flow to my legs, it can't be good can it?
It doesn't help I discovered a new beer in my local beer shop the other day. I've got a bit of a taste for light beers from Cornwall, and found one called Frothy Moth. It's like a real beer, but light and refreshing and very nice. However - last night, I had just a couple of bottles, and then in the middle of the night I got heartburn like a bitch. I mean REALLY bad, excess stomach acid the works. Horrible.
The reason for the need for beer was that Jake had played in the first couple of rounds of a borough cup tournament, 11-a-side format. The games were 20 mins each way, in a group of three teams, so Jake's team played their two other teams one after the other. It was really warm and humid, so hard work for the boys (and for the dads like me on the sidelines!) but they did really well, winning both their games. The first one 1 - 0 (Jake scored it) the second one 3 - 0 (Jake scored two). Even though I am biased, he played really well in both games. When he's in that mood, he's unplayable. I was a very proud father last night. But, I was a very HOT father, hence the beer-aid.
This weekend he has another tournament (6-a-side this time) and apart from that it's gonna be a quiet one I think. Whatever you're doing, enjoy the weather. Peace.
Soundtrack of the day: "La Roux" by La Roux (80's synth music re-invented for 2009).
It doesn't help I discovered a new beer in my local beer shop the other day. I've got a bit of a taste for light beers from Cornwall, and found one called Frothy Moth. It's like a real beer, but light and refreshing and very nice. However - last night, I had just a couple of bottles, and then in the middle of the night I got heartburn like a bitch. I mean REALLY bad, excess stomach acid the works. Horrible.
The reason for the need for beer was that Jake had played in the first couple of rounds of a borough cup tournament, 11-a-side format. The games were 20 mins each way, in a group of three teams, so Jake's team played their two other teams one after the other. It was really warm and humid, so hard work for the boys (and for the dads like me on the sidelines!) but they did really well, winning both their games. The first one 1 - 0 (Jake scored it) the second one 3 - 0 (Jake scored two). Even though I am biased, he played really well in both games. When he's in that mood, he's unplayable. I was a very proud father last night. But, I was a very HOT father, hence the beer-aid.
This weekend he has another tournament (6-a-side this time) and apart from that it's gonna be a quiet one I think. Whatever you're doing, enjoy the weather. Peace.
Soundtrack of the day: "La Roux" by La Roux (80's synth music re-invented for 2009).
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Cornwall '09 Part II
So after being woken again by the breaking sun, another morning of tea and sausage baguettes ensued. Mr. White and myself took another drive down to the beach to see how the surf was, and it was like looking at an empty swimming pool. Flat, calm, very nice looking... but no good for surfing. ARSE!
Still, as we were in Cornwall to visit the beach, we got our gear together and headed down there. Even though the surf was non-existent we still had a great time down there, playing more beach football (my poor feet are now fcuked - cut, bruised, blistered...), more chucking of the novelty flying disc, and for some reason one of our party has a fetish about being buried (I guess it's kinda like auto-erotic asphyxiation?) so we of course obliged. (Bear in mind, we are all in our mid 30's here...). Once he was satisfactorily encased in his sandy tomb (he didn't want his face covered - poof) all manner of hilarity and japes occurred. Sticking Oreo's to his head in the hope of attracting seagulls, covereing his head in his t-shirt so he couldn't see anything and then playing football around him, seeing if he could feel the rocks we were dropping down at around groin height. Oh, the things we do to the ones we love.
We then decided "Hell, we're at the beach, we might as well go in the sea" but we didn't want all the faff and hassle of cleaning the wet suits afterwards for what would amount to about 15 minutes in the ocean. So we all decided to 'man-up' and go in just in our speedo's. Fcuk me. I think my balls dropped out of my body sometime around sunset that day. Still, once you were in and got used to it you found tha... no, I'm lying. It was cold, cold, cold. After staying in there for about 5 - 10 minutes, we were all out again to dry off and doss about a bit more on the sand. And before we knew it, it was nearly 14.00 and time to go home.
Sunday afternoon was spent "chilaxing" (I know, its a shite word, isn't it? But I kept on thinking it over the weekend and it was getting very annoying... by I digress).
Then, we went into Padstow for drinks and dinner at the divine Pescadou fish restaurant. And after a post dinner livener, it was back to the chalet for one more nights sleep on the world most uncomfortable sofa.
Note: If you've never been to Padstow, and don't mind the connection with Rick Stein, I heartily recommend you going. It's a lovely place, with nice pubs, nice restaurants, and a beautiful little harbour. I will be posting some pics of the weekend, including Padstow, when I can get them off my phone.
Anyway - Monday morning, and time to pack up and head off for sunny London. One comment that painted a very vivid image - two of my friends were sharing the bedroom with bunk-beds, and the one on the bottom said to me in the morning "Now there's a lovely way to wake up. You sit up and take a deep breath and feel good, and then stand up into the cloud of noxious arse gass that has been seeped into the room over night. Gagging happens. It's not nice". A near-record breaking sub-4 hour journey later, and back into the bosom of my family.
So there we go. It was a great weekend, and I was right to look forward to it. I would say we are planning the same next year, but all of us are having rather large changes in our circumstances over the next 12 months and so I don't think we can get there for a while. Which is a shame.
I'll post some of the photos (when I've got the necessary permission / blanked out the faces to stop prosecution / photoshopped them to buggery) soon, so stay tuned. Peace.
Still, as we were in Cornwall to visit the beach, we got our gear together and headed down there. Even though the surf was non-existent we still had a great time down there, playing more beach football (my poor feet are now fcuked - cut, bruised, blistered...), more chucking of the novelty flying disc, and for some reason one of our party has a fetish about being buried (I guess it's kinda like auto-erotic asphyxiation?) so we of course obliged. (Bear in mind, we are all in our mid 30's here...). Once he was satisfactorily encased in his sandy tomb (he didn't want his face covered - poof) all manner of hilarity and japes occurred. Sticking Oreo's to his head in the hope of attracting seagulls, covereing his head in his t-shirt so he couldn't see anything and then playing football around him, seeing if he could feel the rocks we were dropping down at around groin height. Oh, the things we do to the ones we love.
We then decided "Hell, we're at the beach, we might as well go in the sea" but we didn't want all the faff and hassle of cleaning the wet suits afterwards for what would amount to about 15 minutes in the ocean. So we all decided to 'man-up' and go in just in our speedo's. Fcuk me. I think my balls dropped out of my body sometime around sunset that day. Still, once you were in and got used to it you found tha... no, I'm lying. It was cold, cold, cold. After staying in there for about 5 - 10 minutes, we were all out again to dry off and doss about a bit more on the sand. And before we knew it, it was nearly 14.00 and time to go home.
Sunday afternoon was spent "chilaxing" (I know, its a shite word, isn't it? But I kept on thinking it over the weekend and it was getting very annoying... by I digress).
Then, we went into Padstow for drinks and dinner at the divine Pescadou fish restaurant. And after a post dinner livener, it was back to the chalet for one more nights sleep on the world most uncomfortable sofa.
Note: If you've never been to Padstow, and don't mind the connection with Rick Stein, I heartily recommend you going. It's a lovely place, with nice pubs, nice restaurants, and a beautiful little harbour. I will be posting some pics of the weekend, including Padstow, when I can get them off my phone.
Anyway - Monday morning, and time to pack up and head off for sunny London. One comment that painted a very vivid image - two of my friends were sharing the bedroom with bunk-beds, and the one on the bottom said to me in the morning "Now there's a lovely way to wake up. You sit up and take a deep breath and feel good, and then stand up into the cloud of noxious arse gass that has been seeped into the room over night. Gagging happens. It's not nice". A near-record breaking sub-4 hour journey later, and back into the bosom of my family.
So there we go. It was a great weekend, and I was right to look forward to it. I would say we are planning the same next year, but all of us are having rather large changes in our circumstances over the next 12 months and so I don't think we can get there for a while. Which is a shame.
I'll post some of the photos (when I've got the necessary permission / blanked out the faces to stop prosecution / photoshopped them to buggery) soon, so stay tuned. Peace.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Cornwall '09 Part I
Yes, it was a very good weekend. The only thing that stopped it being great was the lack of surf...
We arrived on the Friday after a journey of 4 hrs and 45 minutes. Two of us were already there (they traveled down on the Thursday night) so we met them in the Cornish Arms pub. (This is pub in St. Merryn that was taken over by Rick Stein). A pint of Cornish ale later ("Proper Job" - stupid name but tastes nice) we were on our way back to the Chalet for larks and sleep. It's amazing, that four grown men (approaching their 40's!), still behave like tw@ts when gathered together after a long drive and are on their holidays. Still, a good end to the day.
Saturday dawned. I know that because I was kipping in the little lounge area with white blinds on the windows. It was like sleeping on the sun. So when the sun woke up, so did I. After a breakfast of tea and sausage baguettes we headed first to the hire shop (to get me a wet suit) and and then to the beach. I didn't hire a board this time, because we popped to the beach first thing to check the surf, and there was none. The term "flat as a witches tit" comes to mind... or as Mr. White said to Charlie "your tits are bigger". So I didn't bother with a board, and saved a bit of money because we did NO surfing on Saturday. We still had a laugh on the beach, playing beach football, throwing a 'novelty flying disc' around in the sea... it was good. A couple of interesting photos were taken, which I'm considering publishing.
In the afternoon, Mr. White and Charlie took a bike ride together (how romantic) and me and Mr. P just chilled out at the chalet. Did some reading, watched some of Glastonbury, basically recharging my batteries. And in the evening, we had some fish and chips (disappointing... I've had better from the chippys round here) and a few ales. Watched some more Glastonbury. Finally, we retired earlier than Friday as we were all knackered. It sounds like a boring day written down like that - but it was a good combination of fun and relaxation which was just what the doctor ordered.
Part II to follow...
We arrived on the Friday after a journey of 4 hrs and 45 minutes. Two of us were already there (they traveled down on the Thursday night) so we met them in the Cornish Arms pub. (This is pub in St. Merryn that was taken over by Rick Stein). A pint of Cornish ale later ("Proper Job" - stupid name but tastes nice) we were on our way back to the Chalet for larks and sleep. It's amazing, that four grown men (approaching their 40's!), still behave like tw@ts when gathered together after a long drive and are on their holidays. Still, a good end to the day.
Saturday dawned. I know that because I was kipping in the little lounge area with white blinds on the windows. It was like sleeping on the sun. So when the sun woke up, so did I. After a breakfast of tea and sausage baguettes we headed first to the hire shop (to get me a wet suit) and and then to the beach. I didn't hire a board this time, because we popped to the beach first thing to check the surf, and there was none. The term "flat as a witches tit" comes to mind... or as Mr. White said to Charlie "your tits are bigger". So I didn't bother with a board, and saved a bit of money because we did NO surfing on Saturday. We still had a laugh on the beach, playing beach football, throwing a 'novelty flying disc' around in the sea... it was good. A couple of interesting photos were taken, which I'm considering publishing.
In the afternoon, Mr. White and Charlie took a bike ride together (how romantic) and me and Mr. P just chilled out at the chalet. Did some reading, watched some of Glastonbury, basically recharging my batteries. And in the evening, we had some fish and chips (disappointing... I've had better from the chippys round here) and a few ales. Watched some more Glastonbury. Finally, we retired earlier than Friday as we were all knackered. It sounds like a boring day written down like that - but it was a good combination of fun and relaxation which was just what the doctor ordered.
Part II to follow...
Thursday, 25 June 2009
A strange thing happened on the way to work
Don't worry, this isn't the start of some sort of stand-up gag.
In the past few years, I have slowed down as a driver. I do not bomb about the place, thrashing the nuts off the engine, anymore. I do occasionally put my toe down a bit, but only if I'm late for something, or if I'm on a long journey on a motorway (and that's because I want to get OFF the motorway as soon as possible).
I know certain people (well, a certain person!) will disagree with that statement, but it is true. For example, normally, when I drive to work, I actually stick to the speed limit. I do not see the need (especially now, with no chuffin' work) to get into the office as quickly as possible, and as the roads are quiet, I normally just enjoy the drive in. This morning however, I had a sudden urge to go really fast. I haven't had that feeling for ages, but it was so weird, about half way through the journey I just wanted to go very quickly. Now I don't want anyone to worry, I didn't spend the rest of the journey at 100mph, but when I could (when the road was empty, and I could see no other cars around etc. etc.) I did put my foot down, and it felt fantastic. I think it's because there are a couple of roads I go down that I am normally sat at 30mph (as its the limit) and just cruise along, but this morning lets say I was 'substantially' faster than that. It was good fun.
So, last day in the office today, and then off to Cornwall tomorrow afternoon. It's gonna be bliss. I just have to get through today with no work and nothing to do and being bored out of my mind again. *sigh*
Soundtrack of the day: "Asleep In The Back" by Elbow & "Five Leaves Left" by Nick Drake.
In the past few years, I have slowed down as a driver. I do not bomb about the place, thrashing the nuts off the engine, anymore. I do occasionally put my toe down a bit, but only if I'm late for something, or if I'm on a long journey on a motorway (and that's because I want to get OFF the motorway as soon as possible).
I know certain people (well, a certain person!) will disagree with that statement, but it is true. For example, normally, when I drive to work, I actually stick to the speed limit. I do not see the need (especially now, with no chuffin' work) to get into the office as quickly as possible, and as the roads are quiet, I normally just enjoy the drive in. This morning however, I had a sudden urge to go really fast. I haven't had that feeling for ages, but it was so weird, about half way through the journey I just wanted to go very quickly. Now I don't want anyone to worry, I didn't spend the rest of the journey at 100mph, but when I could (when the road was empty, and I could see no other cars around etc. etc.) I did put my foot down, and it felt fantastic. I think it's because there are a couple of roads I go down that I am normally sat at 30mph (as its the limit) and just cruise along, but this morning lets say I was 'substantially' faster than that. It was good fun.
So, last day in the office today, and then off to Cornwall tomorrow afternoon. It's gonna be bliss. I just have to get through today with no work and nothing to do and being bored out of my mind again. *sigh*
Soundtrack of the day: "Asleep In The Back" by Elbow & "Five Leaves Left" by Nick Drake.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
All quiet...
Hence no post. I'm bored out of my tiny little mind at work, and it's hard to stay sat at my desk when I have no work to do. I just think "I should be at home being useful rather than sat here doing nowt". And that's the stupid thing - I'm being paid to do nothing. Some people (busy, hectic people) would think "that sounds brilliant", and it is for a day or two - but soon your brain starts to turn into cold porridge and begins to leak out of your ears. *sigh*
Still - I have a brilliant weekend to look forward to - me and 'the boys' are going down to Cornwall. We leave Friday night, and return Monday... and I have been looking forward to it since the plan was finalized. A weekend of surfing, drinking, eating and arsing about. It's gonna be just what I need. Yes, the journey will probably suck, but once we're there its nothing but relaxing and being a 'bloke'. Of course, a full report will be given on my return - lets just hope nothing like this happens again!
Soundtrack of the day: "Kind Of Blue" by Miles Davis. (Yes, jazz. Quiet jazz. I'm in a quiet jazz kinda mood...)
Still - I have a brilliant weekend to look forward to - me and 'the boys' are going down to Cornwall. We leave Friday night, and return Monday... and I have been looking forward to it since the plan was finalized. A weekend of surfing, drinking, eating and arsing about. It's gonna be just what I need. Yes, the journey will probably suck, but once we're there its nothing but relaxing and being a 'bloke'. Of course, a full report will be given on my return - lets just hope nothing like this happens again!
Soundtrack of the day: "Kind Of Blue" by Miles Davis. (Yes, jazz. Quiet jazz. I'm in a quiet jazz kinda mood...)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
