Man Flu
Afternoon reader, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.
So, Junior went back to his mum's on Christmas Eve, having enjoyed his stay and early Christmas. At least I think he enjoyed himself, he seemed to, I've not heard any bad reports as yet, which is a good thing.
Christmas day was spent at the outlaw's and boxing day was spent on the sofa, nice. I stuck my head in to the office on Wednesday and Thursday for a couple of hours, nothing much going on... and then I managed to hit the jackpot on Friday... another bout of man flu.
So NYE was spent on the sofa, watching TV, in fact I didn't leave the house between the 29th and the 3rd (amazingly I haven't been to the local since the 25th). I stuck my head in the office again yesterday but was home by 3, and today I'm back on the sofa. I must pull myself round, Canary Island's in 7 sleeps time, don't want to be ill for that.
Holidays are strange times, Miss Hard-on and I spend so little time together these days that you couldn't really call our situation a relationship anymore, it's just a 7 year habit, but we do enjoy holidays. If we have 6 weeks/42 nights away in 2012, we won't spend anywhere near that amount of time together across the rest of the year, she has her nights out with friends and I have mine. We might go out 2 or 3 times a month for dinner but that's about it. Strange.
Sometimes I think that it's time for a change, a new start, that I'm wasting my life just plodding through a relationship that isn't going anywhere and a job, while it is a very good job, that I don't particularly like anymore. And then other times I wonder what I would do without Miss Hard-on and think I am lucky to have her. And I honestly would bet my life that she feels exactly the same about the situation.
Anyway, enough seriousness for life time, need to get well then enjoy some sun, sea, sand, sex and all inclusive food and drink!
This blog was brought to you by Daniela Ruah (28) from NCIS: LA, a possible contender for the role of Mrs Hard-on
On this day: Donald Campbell is killed on Coniston Water while attempting to break the world water speed record (1967)
On the car iPod dock: nothing, haven't left home in ages
Talk hard!
H.
Laughs
Evening Reader
Cinema today with Jnr, Puss In Boots, enjoyed it, very funny. Grandma Hard-on is taking him to see Arthur Christmas tomorrow, sick off explaining it's not called Half A Christmas, have given up now...
I was up til 3am this morning watching Harry Brown, pretty good film with Michael Caine. Hadn't seen it before, not a bad effort really, filled in a couple of hours.
Boss called round to our house tonight to give me my FY11 appraisal. Wasn't bad, exceeding expectations, got a nice little above average raise, but my bonus wasn't up to much this year, less than a third of what I got last year. Not good.
This blog was brought to you by Helen Skelton (28), the best BP presenter since Katy Hill, and certainly a possible contender for the position of Mrs Hard-on.
On this day: A gang of thieves steal £26.5 million worth of currency from the Donegall Square West HQ of the Northern Bank in Belfast, NI, one of the largest bank robberies in UK history (2004).
On the car's iPod dock: Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Talk Hard!
H.
Entertaining Jnr
Hello reader
I have Harry Jnr here this week, as he gets older it's getting harder to find stuff to entertain him, he's a little big for the Wacky Warehouse these days... thank god for Xbox.
I was reading over some old posts and there is quite a few things to update you on, the first thing I thought I'd tackle was the break-in at the local, back in January 2008.
If you recall, it had been broken into, the safe had been left open and large sum of money stolen. The manager was suspended and a meeting called. I had gotten a little irate, and as a result had been suspended for 12 months. So, what happened next?
The manager had been suspended but was let off without so much as a warning. The secretary (the boss) then resigned without giving a reason. It seemed cut and dried to us, the manager had left the safe open, gross misconduct, but for some reason it didn't happen, he got off while the person who was supposed to make him accountable resigned? Very fishy.
I did my 12 months suspension, went back in January 2009 and by April was assistant secretary (2nd in charge). By September I was secretary, no.1, numero uno. In year 1 I took the place from a £150k annual loss to an £11k profit, in year 2 we broke even.
It was hard work with a full time job as well as spending every night plus weekend days in there too, so in June 2011 I stepped down, happy that I'd helped stabilize the place.
I'm still in the local most week nights, and it was a struggle not to open my mouth when I see stupid business decisions being made, but I'm over that now, happy just to stand at the end of the bar and put the world to rights.
I've started to drink somewhere else on a Friday night, in another part of the city. And I've met someone I'd quite like to get to know better. And Miss Harriet Hard-on doesn't know. But that's a story for a rainy day...
Today's blog is brought to you by Dianna Agron, Glee sexpot and Lea Michele, Glee geek, both 25.
On this day: The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the HQ of the Brazilian Football Confederation (1983)
On the car's iPod dock (new car): Haven't been out today, do you know how cold it is!
Talk Hard!
H.
Nah, can't be.
Is it really three and a half years since I was last here?
Well, I'm gonna take an hour to read through old posts and I may come back in a day or two to construct a new one.
Hope you are fit and well reader, if you're still around?!
This mini-blog was brought to you by Kesenia Solo, co-star of Lost Girl
On this day: The IRA bomb Harrods store in London, killing 6 people (1983)
On the car's iPod dock (new car): Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Talk Hard!
H.
Since you been gone
I went to bed on April 1st and I just woke up now! Honest...
So, what's been happening while I was, erm, sleeping?
-The football season finished
-I still didn't find another job
-I went camping with Mrs Hard-on
-Another hampster died
-Malcolm stopped blogging
-My company was bought by another well known but smaller company and combined we are now the world's biggest IT firm
-We bought our third hampster, Stephen
-Fuel charges have increased eleventy million times and it's now £3000 a litre
-Arseblog went all corporate and was swallowed up by oleole.com
-I turned one more notch on the mid-thirties'ometer and didn't celebrate
-Harry Jnr turned 8 and we went to chill Factore in Manchester to celebrate
-Harriet Hard-on turned another notch on the early-thirties'ometer and we are celebrating this evening
This blog was brought to you by the lovely Melanie Slade, girlfriend of Arsenal striker Theo Walcott
On this day: Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.
On the car mp3: George Michael - Patience
Talk Hard!
H.
Clocks Go Forward (it's a song)
Morning all, it's been a while...
I returned to work yesterday from a weeks leave. Didn't get up to much, just relaxed and recharged. It's funny how even on my second day back, the thoughts of the holiday have disappeared and it feels like I've never been away. Work is so depressing!
We were going to go camping but the couple of sites a called all said they were waterlogged. I'm slowly building up the camping gear, hopefully in the next couple of weeks we should have everything we need and not need to borrow anything. I need to draw a line soon though as we are in danger of going over the top. The latest acquisitions have included an electric hook-up cable, a fan heater and an electric cool box. We'll be needing a van soon...
Still suspended from the local... as you can see I have a countdown timer on the right hand side of the blog, slowly counting down the days.
F1 and Moto GP seasons have both started. As usual I'm following the F1 and supporting Hamilton, and for the first time, I've gotten in to Moto GP. I suppose I should really be supporting Sheffield born James Toseland on his Tech 3 Yamaha in his first season but I seem to be drawn to four times Moto GP World Champion, Italian Valentino Rossi on his Fiat Yamaha.
The footy team are about to play the Scousers three times in a row over six days. The first of those is a Champions League home tie tomorrow night. My big boss is a loyal Liverpool fan so there is money riding on the outcome of all three matches. I hope I don't lose, he earns more than me...!
Today's blog is brought to you by an old favourite, Victoria Beckham. Some people hate her, others just have a mild dislike, but I kind of find her attractive, in a shallow sort of way...
On this day: Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, which is the first country to allow it (2001)
On the car iPod: David Gilmour - A Night To Remember
Talk hard!
H.
