273/365 : Heat Wave


So last night I hardly slept... I do not do very well in the heat and it was very warm in our bedroom. We had the hall and bedroom windows open but it was toasty. Andy seemed to sleep fine but for me it was difficult.

So today after I drove him to work (I am on the late shift this week) I went to Homebase and bought a fan. I have a feeling I will be much more comfortable tonight!

We got our groceries for this weekend. I know Fourth of July is not celebrated over here but I still plan on having a nice BBQ. Hamburgers, potato salad and baked beans are all going to be made, and of course a homemade cheesecake.

High: 76°
Low: 65°
Forecast: A Couple of Showers and Thunderstorms
Sunrise: 4:45 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

272/365 : Cat Vs. Mouse


No... not a real mouse. But you would think the way that Gallagher was staring the mouse down that it was real. Every time I put the laptop down it takes him about one minute to climb on top of it to go to sleep. I can't believe how warm it is and he still wants to sleep on top of the warmth!

Speaking of warm... it is so hot outside today! Of course this time last year when I was in Fort Worth and suffering thru 105° heat and humidity I would have killed to have it only be 77° out. But it has been high 60's at the most so far but this week is supposed to be a scorcher. Hopefully it will just go by quickly and the cooler weather comes back soon. I will just keep remembering that it could be worse... and I'll keep an eye on the weather in Fort Worth to keep me motivated.

High: 77°
Low: 64°
Forecast: Sunny
Sunrise: 4:44 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

271/365 : Put Your Shirt On!


Yes it is sunny. No it does not happen every day. Yes you are allowed to wear shorts. No you are not allowed to walk around with your shirt off.

What is with these people? I have spent 3 1/2 years in Texas and even in 105° weather over the summer people did not walk around with their shirt off.

Andy and I went to the movie theatre to see 'Year One' today and honestly we had to have passed at least 10 guys that were walking around with their shirt off.

Are they really this warm that they need to undress? Or is it that they think they are so sexy that they need to walk around shirtless? Either way this is unacceptable to me. If you are at a water park or beach, then go for it. Walking down the road? Put your shirt on!

High: 70°
Low: 56°
Forecast: Sunny with Late Showers Possible
Sunrise: 4:43 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

270/365 : Crazy Cat


The cats have had this toy for as long as they have been alive. It serves a double purpose as it not only has a pink ball that can be batted around and around it also has a center that is a scratching pad. Thankfully I have found a little store online that has the replacements so they can continue to love this thing.

Rooney was having a good time playing with it today so I did my best to take a photo. It was quite hard because he was moving so fast. I also recorded a little bit of it and have posted it below.

I wanted to send a thanks to 'Britishblues' and 'Kim' for suggesting that I use Digestive Biscuits when I could not find Graham Crackers. I picked some up today and they taste just like Graham Crackers! They will work perfectly. The dessert I was going to make uses French Vanilla pudding and I can not find that either. I can not even find just plain vanilla Angel Delight. So I have instead decided to make a homemade cheesecake this weekend. Not a terrible second choice... Yummy!

Also, did you guys notice the Sunset time today? It is listed as 9:43. Yesterday was 9:44 which means it is starting to go backwards and will soon be getting darker earlier. Most people would not see this as a good thing but I love it! Having light in the sky at 10:00pm at night still freaks me out a bit.

Video of Rooney Playing

High: 67°
Low: 57°
Forecast: Cloudy with Possible Shower
Sunrise: 4:43 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

269/365 : In The Lakes


Today Andy and I drove up to the Lake District to spend the day.

We started out by going to the South Lakes Wild Animal Park, which I must stay was a blast! The above photo is of Andy feeding one of the giraffes. As much as I was looking forward to feeding the giraffes I have to say that was not my favorite part of the day. Andy and I fell in love with a little Wallaby and would have taken him home with us if we thought we could get away with it... just SO cute!

The Tiger feeding was also amazing. To keep them wild and fit they put pieces of meat up six meter high poles and then have them climb up to get it. I was able to get a video of one of them going up the first pole and then photos of them going up another. I have posted the extra photos from the day and the video below.

More Photos From The Animal Park

Tiger Feeding Video

After we were finished at the animal park we drove a little bit further north up to Lake Windermere. We ended up stopping in Bowness-on-Windermere and took a nice cruise around the lake. Even though it was sunny all day it was quite cloudy over the lake. It looked like it wanted to rain but it never did. The cruise was nice and cool and it was a beautiful place. I was amazed when we got back into the car and it said we were only an hour away from home. Now that we know it is only an hour to Windermere we will have to plan another trip up there soon. Maybe next time we can rent a boat to go out on the lake ourselves.



High
: 71°
Low: 53°
Forecast: Sunny with Afternoon Clouds
Sunrise: 4:42 AM
Sunset: 9:44 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

268/365 : Darkness


These are the lights that are in our bathroom, in total there are five of them. We have now been in this house for seven months and four of them have burnt out. Only one remains.

We have spare light bulbs that fit but unfortunately we have no idea how to replace them. I have tried my best and can not figure it out. You would think that you just unscrew the little silver bit and be done with it but oh no. I have unscrewed that, pulled the canister out of the ceiling, etc.. and can not figure it out. So I am done. Not sure what we are going to do when the last one goes. Maybe we will have to resort to the olden days of candles. Would help if there was a window in there but there isn't. Oh well. I guess I will have to try to research it online to see if I can find some kind of instructional booklet on how to replace the stupid thing.

Now... I have an urgent question for anybody who is living in or has lived in England. Can you buy graham crackers over here? I have looked at a few shops and can not find them anywhere! I have a dessert that uses them and am dying to make it for next weekend (July 4th) but am running out of luck finding them. Any thoughts? If they don't sale them over here how in the world do they make cheesecake crust?

High: 70°
Low: 54°
Forecast: Mostly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:44 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

267/365 : Knackered!


I can not believe today is only Wednesday! It feels like it should be much later in the week by now. I am on 8-4 this week and I always feel so tired during this shift. You wouldn't think that it only being one hour earlier would be that big of a deal but I am officially knackered!

Thankfully tomorrow will be our last day at work for the week because we both have Friday off. Hopefully tomorrow is a fast day!

As you can see I am not up to much at home so all of my pictures are while Andy is driving us home from work. Hopefully we will find something exciting to do at least one day this weekend so that I can stop boring everybody with these ho hum days.

High: 69°
Low: 49°
Forecast: Mostly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:44 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

266/365 : *Sniff* No I Don't!


Saw this while driving home today. I understand the message on the left 'Clean me now' but what is up with 'U all smell'?

Do I smell? Or do the people driving the van smell?

Not much really happened today. Was up late last night until around 1:30am playing around on my new iPhone. I still haven't gotten everything transferred over from my iTouch but I am nearly there.

Oh and if you look at this post number... this is Day 266! Officially 99 days left in my first year. It has gone by crazy fast!

High: 72°
Low: 53°
Forecast: Afternoon Rain
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:44 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

265/365 : How Do I Love Thee?


Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

So yeah... this about sums it up really.

High: 66°
Low: 58°
Forecast: A Couple of Showers
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:44 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

264/365 : Escar... Gross!


I have noticed something since we moved here. There are a heck of a lot of snails and slugs that come out at night!

I do not want to harm these little guys but let me tell you what... they creep me out!

Andy and I went to see the new Transformers movie today and when we got home we wanted to use the BBQ. After I took the cover off I was greeted by this little guy, well I should say big guy cause he is big. He had climbed up the side of the BBQ and was waiting for me next to the on/off knob. Needless to say I gave a little girl yelp when I saw him. I ran inside and made Andy go out to move him off. He went out armed with newspaper and placed him over by the back gate.

If you click on the picture to see the larger image you will see all of the shiny slime the little guy has left behind him as he has moved across the grass. Eeewwwwwww...

I never remember this many snails and slugs being in Illinois or Texas. Must be all of the rain they get here, at least this is my theory.

Transformers was really good by the way! It was a little long and probably could have been shortened just a tad but in the end it was well worth a watch. Still liked the first one better but glad we went to go see it. While we were there we saw that advance tickets were about to go on sale for the next HarryPotter movie... can not wait for that. Hopefully we will be able to go to the advance screening, will have to see what shift I am working that week.

High: 60°
Low: 52°
Forecast: Clouds and Sun
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

263/365 : Is that Grass?


Nope.. Andy is not growing grass but what you are looking at are a whole lotta carrots! I thought it was odd that when Andy came back in from planting his baby carrots and spring onions back on Day 243 that he had used every single seed. He now says he planted them all because he didn't think they would all grow.

I do not think we will be yielding very many edible carrots from this batch as they are way too close together. But this is his first try and I do believe he has learnt his lesson. Maybe I am wrong and we will be eating carrots galore... We shall see.

High: 57°
Low: 48°
Forecast: A Passing Shower
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

262/365 : What Is Missing?


I was so looking forward to my photo for today... but instead you get a glimpse of my laptop and a lonely USB cable with nothing attached to it. *ugh*

I swapped my day in lieu this week so that I could have today off so that I could be at an O2 store at 9am for when the new iPhone 3G S went on sale.

I went in and finally got an agent at around 9:20, all of the computers were being used by people that were ahead of me. She took my details, etc.. Then it came to do the credit check and this is what I was worried about. I have a bank account, I am employed and can prove my address... but all of this means nothing when it comes to a credit check because I have no credit history here in the UK.

Of course.. it comes back as 'deferred' which means that they must call the credit department to give the details of the person applying for the contract. The agent that was assisting me goes to the back for like 30 minutes and then comes back to say that they are telling her it is taking about 2 hours to get thru the deferred applications so she will call me.

Just great.

Finally like 3 hours later I get a call from her saying that the credit department can approve my application *if* I can bring them my Passport (no problem) and a 2nd debit card.!?.!? I asked what she meant and she said another debit card that I have with a different bank. Well I don't have TWO bank accounts! I mean who does? I asked her if O2 was saying I had to open a new bank account in order to get a contract phone and she gave me a number to call which was just the general O2 number. She then said that she can not hold the phone I wanted and that she doubts that I can get anywhere by calling either but it may be worth a try.

So... I call that number and the man tells me I have to deal with the store directly. I explained that it was the store that told me to call this number and he repeats that he can do nothing for me, so I asked for a Manager/Supervisor. He put me on hold and came back saying that 'she' said to explain that we can not help. I then told him that just maybe 'she' can take 2 minutes out of her busy schedule to tell me that herself... then a rude woman came on, did not even introduce herself so I had to ask her name and title. I told her I wanted the number to the Credit Department that is in control of approving applications. She told me she couldn't give it to me. After arguing a little bit more she gave me the number.

I called the number, sat on hold for a good 30 minutes... then... a familiar accent came on the line. The operator was American, I went into my tale of woe and she told me to go to O2's website and apply directly. Then when it comes back as deferred to call her back (she gave me her direct line) with the order number and she will get it sorted. She also thought it was crazy that the O2 store lady was saying that I had to have a 2nd debit card!

Online application was deferred... called her back... she took my passport number, debit card number and got it approved. She then called the store directly to see if they had any more white 32gb versions left and of course they didn't so she processed the order to have one shipped out to me today so that I can get it on Monday. I also heard her explain to the same lady at my local store that she should not be telling people that they have to provide a 2nd debit card that she has never heard of such and if she has told anybody else that today she needs to ring them back.

I thanked her A LOT and told her that since she works for O2 I hope she didn't have such a hard time getting a contract phone. She said she only started a few months ago and it was the first time she could get a contract phone as she was declined by Orange when she first came over.

After I got off the phone with her I called the O2 store again just to rub it in a little that I got it sorted myself. I told her that it was sorted and that the credit department wanted me to pass on that she was in fact submitting the application incorrectly and that they never asked for a 2nd debit card. She thanked me for calling and said she had not heard from the credit department. Liar. The agent had not put me on hold and I heard the entire conversation.

Anyway... glad it is all sorted but I absolutely hate waiting and now I have to wait another 3 days... and it will need to be signed for and we work all next week so I will probably miss the delivery guy also.

One day I will have a picture that will show a shiny new iPhone 3G S attached to this USB cable... until then I will do my best to put on a happy face and wait.

High: 54°
Low: 45°
Forecast: Cloudy and Windy
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

261/365 : Thunder Rolls...


So today it was pretty sunny all day from what I could tell while I was at work. While we were driving home it started to sprinkle a little but nothing major.

But then while we were catching up on last nights Big Brother episode it just started pouring down outside. Then it happened... it thundered! To be honest Thunder is something that I am very used to.

Growing up and living in Illinois there were plenty of thunder storms that went thru in the spring and fall. Then living in Texas for three years there were plenty there also. But to be honest I think this may have been the first thunder I have heard since we moved here. It wasn't a threatening sound kinda like a little whimper of a thunder but it was still an old familiar sound.

Then as soon as it came up it was over and the sun came out. I took this photo just after the sun emerged and you can see the storm cloud passing over.

High: 57°
Low: 45°
Forecast: Cooler with Occasional Rain
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:43 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

260/365 : Sheep, Geese and Ducks... Oh My!


No I am not obsessed with taking pictures of animals but I do love nature and how could I resist taking such a cute photo? Love driving by this little spot and always find something cute awaiting me when we come around the corner. Usually there are swans but there wasn't any today.

I have taken a picture of this late before back on Day 185. I was not fast enough and you can only see a little bit of the white on one of the swans.

We were moving while I took this picture (It's okay... Andy was doing the driving) so the fact that it came out so clear is a big plus!

High: 56°
Low: 48°
Forecast: Partly Cloudy, Evening Rain
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:42 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

259/365 : New Home... New Traditions


I was wondering what I was going to get up to on July 4th since there will be no fireworks to attend... looks like it will be the Blackrod Scarecrow Festival.

Andy pointed this sign out to me on our way into work this morning. I have done a little research online and have found out that there are many different scarecrows on show down the main road in Blackrod. Will have to give this a go to see all of the creativity.

Since they set fireworks off here on November 5th I will have to remember this year to buy some to put away for July 4th. I do still plan on BBQ'ing out though, can't go without that!

High: 67°
Low: 53°
Forecast: Times of Clouds and Sun
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:42 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

258/365 : Public Footpath


I made Andy pull over on our way home from work so that I could snap this photo. If you look closely off in the distance there are sheep all in the field (we all know how much I love the little sheep) and I wanted a picture of the public footpath signs. I had no idea what these signs meant when I first got here but now find the whole concept amazing.

Basically, where you see this sign (or any sign stating 'public footpath') you are allowed to walk thru. Regardless of what is there and who owns the land you are allowed to walk thru. How awesome is that?

As you can see in this picture it goes right thru somebody's farm... but it does not matter because it is a posted public footpath and the land owners can do nothing about it but let you walk thru.

Again... awesome!

High: 63°
Low: 51°
Forecast: Periods of Rain
Sunrise: 4:40 AM
Sunset: 9:41 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

257/365 : Is It... Or Isn't It?


So Andy has has been sneezing and suffering with runny eyes and nose for about a week now. When we went to the store to find something for allergies I was shocked at the lack of products available. I have now been living in the UK for 257 days so I have no idea why I am still shocked by the lack of variety when I shop, but I am.

In the States we always took a Claritin 24 daily. This just stopped any sinus headache that I may experience and it always stopped his sniffles and sneezes.

So today this is what we found... Clarityn. Notice the 'y' instead of an 'i'. Is this or isn't this the same product... that is the question! They had a buy one get one free offer on so we went ahead and bought it.

After getting it home and doing some research it has the same active ingredient, 10 mg of loratadine. So what is the deal with the name? Which came first? The US Claritin and this UK company is just ripping off the name by changing an i to a y or is it the other way around?

Whatever the issue I just hope it works the same cause Andy is really suffering.

High: 60°
Low: 48°
Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:40 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

256/365 : Movie Day


We went to see two movies today, The Hangover and Terminator Salvation. Both were very enjoyable and I was quite surprised at how much I liked Terminator. The Hangover was quite funny also!

After they were over we ran by Tesco to pick up a few groceries for the week and then off we were back home to relax until Monday. I have some Sims 3 to catch up on!

I took this picture as we were driving home from Tesco. Andy takes this back road into Westhoughton and it is the tiniest road ever. I get scared when cars go passed on the other side.

High: 63°
Low: 50°
Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:40 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

255/365 : They’re back


Well... I wish it took more than a week for weeds to start to grow back but apparently this is something I am going to have to keep on top of.

For the cracks between the pavement I am going to find some kind of gentle/safe to animals weed killer to spray so that hopefully they will stay away but there are all of these tiny green leaves coming up inside the flower bed. I will go out this weekend and start pulling them so that they don't have a chance to take over the little area.

On a positive note the flowers I planted appear to be very happy as they are getting bigger everyday. Can't wait for them to flower!

Today is Friday... Next stop the weekend. Woo Hoo!

High: 59°
Low: 48°
Forecast: Times of Clouds and Sun
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:39 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

254/365 : Strange


Not quite sure if I fully captured this moment on camera but when Andy and I were going upstairs to bed I noticed this really weird dark cloud that was moving across the top of Winter Hill.

Not sure if it was the fact that the cloud was so dark or the fact that there still seemed to be a bit of light in the sky... at 11:30pm!

Whatever the reason for it looking the way it did, it was weird.

High: 56°
Low: 42°
Forecast: A Couple of Showers
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:39 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

253/365 : Big Puffy Clouds


Yes this was taken from the car... yes I was driving to work... but I was stopped at a red light so all is okay. Just thought it looked so beautiful with the big puffy clouds.

I am starting to finally feel a bit better after the event that was the Oasis gig. I think I have finally caught up on my sleep and have taken enough showers to feel fully clean again, so today is a good day.

Plus it is 'hump day' and that means there is a weekend right around the corner. Yay!

High: 56°
Low: 48°
Forecast: Partly Cloudy
Sunrise: 4:41 AM
Sunset: 9:38 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

252/365 : The Street


This is the street that Andy and I live on. Our house is just to the right but you can't see it in this picture as we are about to turn in. The church is right behind the trees in front. Now that everything is in full bloom again I am going to need to walk thru the cemetery to see what my tree is looking like these days...

Would it surprise you if I told you that I took this photo on my way home from work? Andy came back after me when I got off at 9:00pm. Yep, look out bright it is outside and this had to have been taken at around 9:15 or 9:20pm. Crazy.

High: 56°
Low: 47°
Forecast: Times of Clouds and Sun
Sunrise: 4:43 AM
Sunset: 9:37 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

251/365 : Let There Be Peppers!


Andy planted his JalapeƱo Pepper seeds back on Day 243 and look how much they have grown in a week! He is very excited that they are doing so well. We tried to keep pepper plants while we were living in Texas but the heat was just too much I think... we would water them but the leaves just got all burnt up and it eventually died.

He has started them out in these little biodegradable pots then once they get big enough he will plant them in a garden planter. They are on the kitchen window sill for now inside a cute little plastic Propagator that he got, it is like a mini greenhouse.

Hopefully these little guys will continue to grow and then one day I can share a picture of our first pepper harvest. Too bad I don't like peppers... these are all for him!

High: 55°
Low: 46°
Forecast: Partly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:43 AM
Sunset: 9:36 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

250/365 : Never Again... Ever!


So... where do I start?

Tracey and James came to pick us up at around 1:15pm. We made our way to Bury because we figured it would be easier to park there and take the metro into Manchester. Since Bury was north at the end of the gig it would be easier to get out as everybody would be going south and into Manchester. We found a place to eat and then made our way to Heaton Park.

The forecast was calling for rain but so far it had held out. I decided to leave my umbrella at home which was a good thing cause as we made our way in they made Tracey throw out the little one she had with her. I would have refused to thrown mine out so luckily I escaped that fight.. too bad that wouldn't have been the only fight of the night!

So the first support band came out... have no idea who they were and the only thing I can remember is that on the two large screens that were beside the stage you could see the lead singer had a giant booger hanging out of his nose which made for a great view on the big screen.

So there is no good way to say what started being thrown once the music got going. There was beer being thrown, food being thrown and yes... brace yourself. Urine being thrown! Yeah I know, how gross is that? I had a plastic poncho on but right before Oasis I had to take it off because some drunk guy grabbed the back of it and it ripped so it was no longer doing any good. I just pulled my hoodie up over my head and tied it tight around my face hoping I did not get anything really gross in the face. At one point a man was walking by with some new beers, he was holding them up over his head, got bumped and when I was looking up he poured them right on my face and in my eyes.

After the unknown band there were three other support bands that played before Oasis came out. Twisted Wheel, The Enemy and Kasabian.

I have to say that I have never listed to any of them before but I thought that The Enemy and Kasabian did a really good job! I think I will have to find some of their music to listen to a bit more of it. Needless to say I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I was not being whacked in the head by some drunken idiot behind me or being pushed around while everybody around be jumped around like idiots. And of course I was still looking out for things being thrown so that I could duck out of the way. Unfortunately there was no ducking for more than half of it. Yuck.

To be honest half way thru Kasabian I was convinced that I wanted to just get out and that no way were Oasis worth all of this crap. But we forced thru it and stayed in our place.

I almost got in a few fights because I kept elbowing the idiots behind me that kept pushing me. Andy came even closer to getting into a fight because people kept trying to push past us and he wouldn't let them by because there was no place to go. He got into a heated argument with one guy and I thought a punch would be thrown but it wasn't. We did witness two fights around us and one was right in front and we watched a guy get punched and go down. When he got up we thought he would fight back but he pretty much ran off crying. There was even one point when a guy threatened to hit a girl, that would have been interesting as I think the guy would have been beaten to a pulp by the others around him.

So finally after already being on my feet for over six hours Oasis come out. To be honest I thought they were ho hum. You have to remember that there were about 70,000 people just at this one concert and we were in Manchester. This is where Oasis are from, this is their home! But there was just no interaction with the audience. No 'It's good to be home' or anything. They came on, sang their songs and left. Outside of singing the songs there was maybe 10 words spoken.

And to be honest after everything we had to go thru I just did not feel like it was worth it. Glad to say that I have seen Oasis live as I have wanted to do that for some time but I won't be rushing to do it again. It is also confirmed that I will never ever go to another outdoor concert. In total I was on my feet standing/walking for a little more than 8.5 hours straight, I was covered in God knows what and felt miserable. It did start to lightly rain about 30 minutes into Oasis but at that point I was welcoming it as I wanted to wash off whatever was on me.

While we were leaving I made the comment that I could have been home playing Sims 3 and Andy said he could have been playing Fifa... hhhmmmm...

The people that went at work seemed to have enjoyed themselves and said it was great. I have seemed to find a running theme though... they were all drunk. Maybe that is the key, you don't mind all of the above crap if you are drunk. Still not my idea of fun.


High: 52°
Low: 44°
Forecast: Cloudy, Late Rain
Sunrise: 4:44 AM
Sunset: 9:35 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

249/365 : How Very Typical!


For well over a week the sun has been out, it has been warm and dry. But oh no... it couldn't stay that way, I mean why would it?

Normally the sight and smell of rain would be a good thing as I love, love, love the rain but when we are one day away from going to an Oasis gig that is outdoor and uncovered... the rain can stay away. But according to the weather it is here to stay. Great.

I guess instead of lounging around in the warm sun at Heaton Park tomorrow we will wrapped up tight and under umbrellas. I wonder if they will even allow people to have umbrellas since everybody will be trying to see the stage... hhhhmmmm... it could be a very interesting and long day tomorrow.

High: 50°
Low: 46°
Forecast: Rain
Sunrise: 4:44 AM
Sunset: 9:34 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

248/365 : Green Eyed Monster


Jealousy is never a good thing... but when you start feeling jealous of a fictional character on Sims 3 then you know it is really bad!

But tell me... who would not want this life? Look how happy she is, she is unemployed, outside enjoying her beautiful surroundings and painting. If you need money you just hit 'Cntl + Shift + C' and type in Motherlode and you get tons of it. She wakes up, goes out if she wants, stays home if she wants, swims in her pool if she wants... truly a life of leisure.

I hate her.

But that isn't going to stop me from playing this wonderful game all day/night!

High: 58°
Low: 38°
Forecast: Periods of Rain
Sunrise: 4:44 AM
Sunset: 9:33 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

247/365 : Summer Reading


On the way back from the FA Cup Final they had a raffle on the coach to give away some goodies. Look at what I won!

I was so excited to win and I thought it was a fitting prize for myself since the others on the coach probably already know of The 100 Greatest Everton Moments but this now gives me a chance to learn about them also.

Unfortunately I have already read more than half of the book so it is not going to get me thru the two months without football but there was another book that was given out to somebody else and I am going to try to get my hands on a copy of that one also.

The author of this book runs the Everton Forum site NSNO.co.uk and they are actually the ones that put together the coach trip that we were on. So I have in fact met the author which is pretty cool... really nice guy!

High: 59°
Low: 42°
Forecast: Partly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:45 AM
Sunset: 9:32 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

246/365 : For The Love Of Salad Dressing


This is the salad dressing aisle in our local Co-Op. Granted there are maybe about 5-7 more choices at the larger grocery stores such as Asda or Tesco but this is pretty much it.

Please also note that not all of this is in fact salad dressing, if you look on the top shelf to the left you will find Marinade. And don't let every row fool you, if you look closely there are some that are the same next to each other. If you count them there are 13 different kinds. That is it. Also please notice that there is no sign of Ranch, French (Catalina) or Italian! They do have something they call 'French Dressing' here but it is off white in color and has weird looking bits in it. I won't even try it.

I am amazed with the variety of products in the US compared to here in the UK. For example lets take Ranch Dressing, I mean what red blooded American does not love Ranch dressing? There has to be at least 13 varieties of just Ranch dressing. I mean there is Original, Buttermilk, Cracked Peppercorn, Spicy, Bacon, Cucumber, Garden Vegetable... I could go on but you get the idea, and that is just Ranch.

The other day my mom sent me a photo that she had taken while she was in Wal-Mart, it is this photo that has prompted this post. Oh and trust me... this is not the entire salad dressing aisle there are more that could not be fit into this picture. Yes there are also repeats but the variety is staggering!


High: 59°
Low: 42°
Forecast: Partly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:45 AM
Sunset: 9:32 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

245/365 : Mom and Pop Shop


Not many of these 'Mom and Pop Shops' are still around in the US. Ever since Wal-Mart took over the country they all started to close down because they could not compete with the corporate prices.

As nostalgic as it feels to shop in this kind of store I do have to say that I miss my one stop shopping at Wal-Mart. The Asda's over here are now owned by Wally World but they are not the same store, in fact no where near it.

Come on Wal-Mart... why haven't you tried to take over England with your Superstores?

High: 73°
Low: 49°
Forecast: Partly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:47 AM
Sunset: 9:30 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

244/365 : Yes...


It is another sky photo but what can I say... I am bored.

I had the day off from work today but Andy had to go in so I was just sat at home pretty much doing nothing.

Was yet another warm sunny day, am starting to think it might stick around for a little while. I hope it at least lasts thru this Sunday because we are off to watch Oasis and it is an outdoor gig. If it rains the show still goes on... Could be very interesting!

It is amazing to think that I bought those tickets back on Day 24 and we are going to see them on Day 249. They make you buy tickets way too far in advance if you ask me.

High: 70°
Low: 48°
Forecast: Partly Sunny
Sunrise: 4:47 AM
Sunset: 9:29 PM

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS