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16 May 2008: Forgetting about, but not being forgotten about

Like the world and his giddy aunt, I’m on Facebook. And for various reasons, I’m rather hidden on it - if you don’t know me, you won’t find my picture; you can’t see my friends list. You can find me, but you can’t find much out about me.

8 April 2008: Spell checking in web browsers

Occasionally I’ve dug up some old post from three or four years ago and re-read it. And noticed something slightly depressing - how awful my spelling is.

1 April 2008: Penguins everywhere

First I find out that Linux Format is available in Greek and Russian, but now the BBC tell me that there are penguins that fly!

23 February 2008: Packaging Madness

A fantastic piece of packaging came my way today.

22 January 2008: Lazy, Lazy, Lazy!

Why walk when you can get the lift a whole one flight of stairs?

29 December 2007: I Knead the Bread

I never really liked the standard white sliced. Too factory-made, too plastic. Bland, boring, soggy. A far cry from what our neighbours across the channel do where popping to the bakery for a fresh baguette is a standard thing.

8 December 2007: Coffin’ heckers like

Anyone watching Have I Got News For You last night might remember a picture involving a coffin at a bus stop…

5 November 2007: The Evil Andrew Bowden

Thanks to Google’s email alerts, the first known litterary Andrew Bowden has been found - by which I mean a character in a short story.

29 September 2007: I come from Hyde. Does this mean I’m in a coma?

I know, I know. I’m about twenty years behind everyone else. For whatever reason, I didn’t watch Life On Mars when it was first broadcast. In fact it completely passed me by until series two started being promoted. And it looked tempting, but I didn’t want to come into it mid way through.

11 September 2007: Britain still imperial

Is a hundred years after it was first mooted, enough time to wait for us to finally go totally metric?

19 July 2007: Bods in competition fixing scandal!

In light of the press field day over fake competition SCANDALS!, I would like to publicly announce my own involvement with competition rigging.

15 July 2007: And they wonder why we don’t like post offices

Last year I successfully managed to order about £200 worth of Norwegian Krone via the Post Office website, and then pick it up at the Post Office branch in the building next door to where I work. This year I can’t order anything online to pick up anything at the very same branch…

23 June 2007: Constant Craving

One of the few reasons I continue to tolerate a lengthy commute to White City every morning, is that it gives me plenty of time to read - something I confess to rarely doing at home.

14 May 2007: Don’t want to ‘alarm’ you…

As we wheeled our suitcases back towards our little house after spending time up north at Christmas, I suddenly realised something about the area we live in. To make sure, I looked up and down the street. Yep, I was right. There was something distinctly missing from almost every house. A burglar alarm.

1 May 2007: Life Sucks!

For some reason, being off work ill makes me do the funniest of things.

16 April 2007: Hello again

I wonder how many blog posts out there start with some mutterings about the poster being sorry about the lack of posts, and that they’ve been a bit busy of late with all manner of exciting or maybe dull things.

12 March 2007: Keep TalkTalking - There’s No Bill!

I was having a ponder the other day and realised I hadn’t had a phone bill for some time. Well, about four months. This is actually quite odd as it used to be every month. So I headed off to my phone supplier to see if I could spot anything odd.

24 February 2007: Credit Card Charges - Aren’t those banks lovely people?

There’s an article on BBC News Online about the decision by Lloyds TSB to impose a £35 annual charge on credit cards account holders who don’t use their cards.

12 February 2007: The F-Word - the end of an era

Late last night, Catherine announced to the world that she was standing down as day to day editor of The F-Word.

8 February 2007: It snows in Britain - EXCLUSIVE!

Yep, it’s been snowing, which for the news means sending countless reporters out into the middle of nowhere to get cold to report on the fact that schools are closed and roads are slippery.

17 October 2006: One Day In History

Regular readers might notice a difference in style for this entry. This is because this entry was originally written for One Day In History - an attempt to capture one days life of many, many people, and store that data in the British Library for future generations. That One Day is today, 17 October 2006. If you’re interested in contributing to the archive about your 17 October, don’t worry - it’s not too late! You can do so until the end of October, via their website.

6 September 2006: Back, Hey I’m Back, Yes I’m Back

So hello. Here I am back again - it’s been a while since I last posted, partly because I was just really busy early August (I have an email backlog a mile long) and partly because Catherine and myself were on holiday in Norway.

1 August 2006: Water, Water, (Not) Everywhere…

Tucked away in a corner of the BBC News website recently was a little story about how Thames Water were thanking people for saving water during the current water problems. Apparently demand dropped by 176 million litres a day in June.

23 July 2006: After all that serious stuff, let’s get back to the vacuous posts

Pringles when they’re broken, are just no where near as satisfying to eat.

19 June 2006: Merton - Nelson, abbey ruins and a great big dockoff evil tower

When I lived in Ealing, it was hard to miss the impact the town had had on the world. The white painted brickwork of Ealing Studios were there every time I walked down St. Mary’s Road. It’s taken me some time (well two years in the area), and I’ve been slowly but surely discovering more and more about where I live now - Merton - whose secrets are a bit more hidden.

22 May 2006: FYR Macedonia

So what to do when you’re off work with a dodgy stomach? Well there was only one option. Find out just why it’s the “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. Well it’s the kind of lightweight, fluffy task that my brain can cope with on such a day.

20 May 2006: How To Feel Like A Complete and Utter Wazzock

Step 1: go to cash machine, and insert cash card.

17 May 2006: Egg

I recently got an Egg Money card thanks to Mint stopping its Cashback, and Lloyds TSB deciding to ditch Accucard (again, losing cashback in the process).

8 April 2006: Knee

As problems go, it’s not the end of the world. Just a mild annoyance that sometimes you don’t want.

6 April 2006: Make It Pink

When I got my first job in production almost three years ago, I jokingly told my developer colleagues that I’d be coming back to make their life a misery by constantly changing my mind on things, and going in half way through a project and demand “make it pink!”.

1 April 2006: Pedantic Point

Heard on a TV advert yesterday for the Race for Life…

1 March 2006: Spherey

Is it possible to look at Spherey and not feel happy? I think not.

17 February 2006: Shovelling

Ever had one of those days where you just feel like your shovelling crap from one pile to another.

11 February 2006: Another Andrew Bowden

Funnily enough, I’m not one of the leading lights in the old right-wing, pro-Tory Biased BBC. Whilst I can foam at the mouth, I can’t do it to the same level as those guys (it’s an outrage etc etc)

9 January 2006: Entry 555

This is entry number 555, one of many entries made in the three and a half years this site has been going. (Three and a half years? Doesn’t time fly?)

4 January 2006: Weights and Colds

Not long after returning to London post Christmas, Catherine got a stinking cold. On Monday, I ended up with it. Doesn’t seem as bad as hers - I haven’t been bad enough to take time off work - but it seems to help if I don’t think too much, and I don’t exactly have a lot of energy which makes burning off the quite frankly ridiculous half a stone of weight that I put on at Christmas, a little hard.

31 December 2005: New Years Eve

Whoever you are, whereever you are, best wishes to you all, and remember - drink responsibly, certainly don’t get unlicensed minicabs home, and most of all remember that quadruple vodkas are never a good idea.

29 December 2005: Festive Tooth

When you have a temporary filling, it’s a good to avoid eating anything from a box of Thorntons scrummy Original Toffee. It’s an even better idea to not forget that you can’t chew on said toffee, on the right side of your mouth.

22 December 2005: Happy Christmas

So I’ve been in a pub before now where a brass band turned up playing carols, but never have I been in a pub where they brought a nonchelant sheep, a petrified looking pony and a vicar who lead an informal carol service. Well until tonight anyway!

19 December 2005: Christmas Decorations

If you’re not reading this in a newsreader then you may notice that the Christmas lights have gone up here at Bods’s Blog. I finally decided that I felt festive enough to put a little bit of reddish pixie dust on the old site, although it was a close run thing.

12 December 2005: Another Boring Post About Teeth

Vaguely tedious moaning about dental work.

30 November 2005: Priorities

So it’s a week off for me. And Catherine’s off too. And we haven’t exactly done much, bar eating out at lunch a few times, and me going to the gym a lot.

8 November 2005: Doctors

I’ve had a bit of a sore arm all day thanks to the annual flu jab, which I got from the doctors last night. I say annual - in reality it’s the first one I’ve had in about four years as I keep forgetting, which usually results in being told off by my doctor. As I’m asthmatic, they seem to think these things are vaguely important.

25 October 2005: Credit Card

Rather oddly I’ve just had a call from Mint querying some transactions on my credit card. I’d wondered if something was up when I came to pay for my newly upgraded travelcard at Colliers Wood tube station, and the guy in the ticket office had to phone up to get the card confirmed. Then at Sainsburys I had the same problem - I just put the whole £8 on a different card.

12 October 2005: Paying For Time

A discussion in the canteen recently involved around one of my colleagues saying about how he is less inclined to do DIY and more inclined to get someone in to do things - it’s about balancing up how much your free time is worth in comparison to the cost of getting someone in.

22 September 2005: Thanks

So I’d like to say a big thank you to the person who, at some point, walked to the end of my drive, lifted up the purple recycling box, removed the green recycling box from underneath it, took out a newspaper and some other bits of paper from the green box, put them in the purple box, put the purple box back, and then scarpered with my green recycling box.

14 September 2005: Hurray Hedgehog

I seem to recall recently, hearing a report on Today about how hedgehogs are becoming rarer. I’ve certainly never seen one. Foxes yes, Hedgehogs no. Until tonight.

29 August 2005: Hello Again

You may be pondering why I have been strangely quiet for the last eleven days. Or you may not. Hey, why should you?

7 August 2005: Extreme Danger Hiking

Hiking past nice signs warning of extreme danger due to guns is nice.

27 July 2005: Is She, Isn’t She…

Train is very busy. People are left on the platform. You notice a woman stood next to you. Her belly looks slightly big. You cautiously attempt to look at her face just to make sure she’s not just well built. She could be pregnant. It could just be the way she’s standing due to her grabbing on to the rail. You’re just not sure.

27 July 2005: Namedropping

Yesterday I walked past Chris Langham on my way to the canteen. Cool!

17 July 2005: Albino Peacock

Peacocks. They’re pretty impressive creatures with their fancy plumage - their tail feather display designed to woo and impress the peahens. So I naturally couldn’t help but wonder how much luck this albino peacock has.

12 July 2005: Police, Controlled Explosions and a Tube Challange

Police outside the stations, controlled explosions at work and a charity tube challenge.

7 July 2005: London, Today

It will hurt - it does hurt - but if there is one thing we will do, it’s show them that we will not hide, we will not cower, we will not fear.

30 June 2005: Micronotwave

Microwaves aren’t particularly hard. You get a temperature setting and a time setting. Doddle. Dead easy. You pick your temperature and you pick your time. Any old muppet could cope with that. Now imagine you are presented with a

29 June 2005: Aim and Shoot

Brighton was the first big test for the new digital camera, which we’d been merely pottering around with until then.

23 June 2005: Holiday!

A couple of weeks ago I realised that not only was it June, but I’d had a whole of three days off work in the first five months of the year. And one of those was taken so I could do tourist stuff with my mother, so wasn’t exactly a carefree day of leisure.

19 June 2005: Applicant

Some time ago the BBC redid it’s jobs site, and it’s rather handy cos you can save all your details on the site. Once you’ve inputted all your data in the first time, you can re-use it (and edit it if desired).

19 June 2005: Heat

I don’t do this weather. I melt. Slowly and surely.

16 June 2005: Alas Poor Toric, I Knew Him Well

Sorry, you can blame Kirk for that title, but today the torric contact lens went back. Well actually not the original - I gave up on that pretty quickly - but a second type of torric contact lens.

7 June 2005: Oh To See! To See!

Bar a brief dalliance with them on Saturday when I had a trip to the opticians, I’ve not worn my contact lenses for almost a week, whilst I wait for another type of lens to appear, for me to try.

1 June 2005: To Toric or Not To Toric

After visiting the opticians the other day, I was given a new toric lens to try and counter the affects of a minor astigmatism in my eye. Or that’s the theory. In practise, it seems to have made the problems I’ve been having with eye strain recently have just got ten times worse.

20 April 2005: Bye Bye Billboards

Just under a month ago, I mentioned the errection of two large, metal billboards on a small patch of grass right outside Colliers Wood tube station, next to the Brown and Root Tower. And now I write again.

19 April 2005: Memorise, Destroy

I open the enevelope and there’s my shiny new PIN complete with message telling me to destroy this slip and memorise my number.

11 March 2005: Red Nose Day

17 February 2005: Can you just say that again?

One of the comments I’ve heard a lot of the last few days is "you sound terrible. Go home and put your feet up". Which is ironic given that overall, I’m feeling fine - it’s just that I’ve completely lost my voice!

14 February 2005: Note to self…

Always remember that trying to contact verbally with someone on the phone is pretty fuitile when you have lost your voice and can’t particularly make yourself be understood very well even when someone is stood right in front of you, yet alone at the other end of a crackily phone line.

14 February 2005: Silence

Just when things seemed to be getting better… I have now lost my voice. Oh and a bit of my tooth has disappeared.

13 February 2005: Cough Cough, Splutter Splutter Argh

I’ve tried to keep things on a usual level without descending into becoming moaning and winging but I’m afraid I’m having difficulty now. It’s been a week since this bug started attacking me and to be blunt, I’ve had enough.

8 February 2005: Things I Dislike

Some things I currently dislike.

10 January 2005: Just Another Drone

In a few weeks time I will sadly no longer be making the trog to work up to the delightful Bush House. For us in New Media, this delightful location in the heart of London’s west end will just be a distant memory, for we’re moving to the less glamorous White City.

30 December 2004: The times, they are a changin’

I have to say I don’t recognise much in Manchester on the rare occasions when I go back - and what I do recognise has often changed. Finally saw the new look Hacienda - now sadly converted to flats and surrounded by lots of buildings full of glass and chrome. But whilst the city centre is looking sprucer by the visit, it’s not always true of elsewhere in the city.

21 December 2004: Off Work Serenity 2

I think it says something about me. If I write down and tell someone that I can’t be bothered to do something, I then go and do it.

21 December 2004: Off Work Serenity

I suppose I should be doing something useful with my day, but to be frank, I’m not sure I can be bothered.

13 December 2004: Mobile Usability

The other weeked a red phone symbol started flashing on the display of my phone. Danger, danger? Or Voicemail voicemail?

19 November 2004: Going Postal In London

There’s something I have to ask. Why is it that postmen in London just leave stuff on your doorstep?

1 October 2004: Flu, Chicken Soup and ADSL

Well I guess Chicken Soup can’t solve every problem which is why I spent most of yesterday and part of today, in bed with flu.

29 September 2004: Chicken Soup

The problem with autumn is that the illnesses begin to arrive.

25 May 2004: Leaving Ealing

Just a few days before we get hold of the keys… We’re not moving in straight away - but waiting until the following weekend but it’s getting… well exciting that finally we’ll have it, but sad as well.

27 April 2004: Chugging ‘ell.

It’s been 17 months since I wrote about the bibbed brigade of direct debit collecting charity nuisances and today I finally found out what the masses are aparantly calling them. But chuggers doesn’t describe them well enough for my liking. I much prefer "annoying <insert swearword here>.

7 April 2004: Tooth…

So I’m chomping on a mint and part of my tooth falls out. That’s not particularly fair is it?

15 March 2004: Ain’t Never Going to be predictable?

Sometimes I wonder if I’m too predictable.

7 March 2004: Standing on the corner with two dogs.

Whilst at Borough Market yesterday, Catherine spotted Sue Perkins - probably best known as one half of comedy double act Mel and Sue, and less well known as host of Radio 4’s The 99p Challenge.

30 January 2004: Catherine in The Guardian #3.

With Hutton, Dyke and phone problems, I almost forgot about Catherine being in the Guardian again yesterday, with some brief views on Sex And The City.

19 January 2004: Dental Woe.

Five fillings down, and a crack appears…

18 November 2003: Housing Hangups.

Last week was hardly my idea of a relaxing week of work I must confess. Instead of sitting down and relaxing, we spent most of our week walking down road after road in an attempt to find a area where we could buy a house.

13 November 2003: The Lift Game.

Top game to play - I guarentee this will be a laugh. All you need is a lift - any lift will do…

11 November 2003: Property Slide.

Weeks off work are supposed to be relaxing. Which is why we’re trogging round South London looking for potential places to buy a house.

30 October 2003: Visit The Dentist Regularly.

After a four year gap, a broken filling meant I really had to go to the dentist again.

29 October 2003: Post Strike.

It’s been getting on for a week since the postman visited the front door of Bods Towers, thanks to a raft of unofficial strikes that have hit London.

18 October 2003: Cough cough, splutter splutter.

I work for five days a week. I get two off to relax and enjoy myself. So why is it I always fall ill at weekend?

14 October 2003: Mailing Lists….

…sometimes I wonder why I bother

30 September 2003: A Woman To Watch.

My other half has now been declared one of 50 women to watch by the Guardian.

4 September 2003: Home Alone.

What’s the worst thing about having the flat to yourself?

22 August 2003: Friendship by Blog.

Wendy has a new MP3 player, and Paul and Andrew C can only communicate by the power of blog entries. And Mark Radcliffe has been to Ashton a few times. And does anyone actually read this rubbish?

8 August 2003: Fame, Grease and a deposit.

So here I am. I live in a flat. Next door lives quite a famous blogger. Yes. He of MovableBlag.com. Yes. He of the big time famous dude. I say lives as that’s not quite true. In fact it’s false as he moved out the other week.

3 August 2003: Ealing Graffiti.

A quality piece of graphitti is spotted near Waitrose.

31 July 2003: Catherine in The Guardian.

An article by my other half, Catherine, purveyor of contemporary feminism over at The F-Word was in the Guardian today.

29 July 2003: In The Way.

Wendy put it better than I could ever do. "Lesson #1 of London - wherever you are, you are IN THE WAY."

15 July 2003: Hyde - a town in the news.

Hyde has now become linked with serial killings. It’s very odd to see your home town seen that way.

12 September 2002: Charity.

Will you PLEASE stop hassling me every day to fill out direct debit forms!

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