Rolling with my homies...

Don't you just love it when you get post? I mean, proper post...not bills.. God, I don't even read those anymore.

Yesterday I got in and waiting inside the door was a hand-written envelope...to me! I opened it and it was an invite to my friends 30th Birthday - even better! A piece of post not asking me for my money but asking me for my company on a night out.

It's not till mid-March, but I've checked my diary and I'm free...hurrah!

The party is Gangster and Moll's themed and wait for it....it's fancy dress! Those of you who have read my blog previously will know that fancy dress and I don't get on, (well except that once when I threw a "come as your favourite popstar party" - Good times!) Anyway normally the very words fill me with dread and instantly make me remember that thing that I planned ages ago happening on the same night. This time, I'm going.

I'm a little bit confused though. I know what Gangsters are, they wear hats, have guns and shoot each other but I have no idea what Molls are, I turned to google...it is suposedly the "girlfriend of a gangster" well why not call them that? Here is a picture courtesy of the great engine of search...

Ok, she actually look's like she's wearing a french beret and office wear (bad office wear) but supposedly she's a Moll none the less?

I'm not going to dress up as a gangster's Girlfriend, that would just be weird, so Gangster or "criminal who is a member of a crime organisation" it is! The best thing about having all this time before the party is that it gives me enough time to think about my costume but also gives me enough time to perfect my gangster ways...perhaps I will go as a modern day gangster instead!? There are plenty around Kilburn Park I could study? Yo, wassup bruv!? Check it! Check my sick (that means good) outfit and my Moll - she's bangin' aint she? oh yeah!

Perhaps, but then again perhaps not.

Oooh mobile blogging!

I'm typing this from the comfort of my bed in the depths of the pillows!

Wonder if this will work? Wow! If it does it opens up those windows of blogging opportunity wide!

There's no stopping me now! I could be in a car, on a bus, boat, in a field, up a mountain....

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Video WOW of the week!

The UK's Eurovision Entry for 2009 - Nil Points anyone?

I'm trying to be patriotic...I really am, but struggling. Can't wait for the show, I can however wait for our scoring to come through. Check out the cheers when she stops! At least we've got Turkey's entry for entertainment!

Remember it's our Time Britain, Our Time!

Monday, 2nd Feb, 2009 aka Snow Day

Monday snow stopped play, in fact Monday, snow stopped EVERYTHING!

I've never seen anything like it in my life! I remember when I lived in NY the snow was pretty deep and it was freezing, but never seen it so bad in London!? No tube, no trains, no buses!

The majority of the office couldn't get in as trains were cancelled, I however could get the Bakerloo line, so I donned my UGGs and out I went to brave the elements! Whilst walking down Kilburn High Road, some little scally-wag (not my chosen name at the time) lobbed a snow ball at me! - seriously! Who does that to people they don't know!? What a silly so-and-so! (again not what I called him that day!) - he missed! HA! Somehow I arrived at Baker Street tube station, manoeuvred myself down the road and got to the office just dodging a icicle that had dropped from a building and smashed in front of me - mission complete! As I arrived on the menswear floor I could see that I was not alone in my sense of adventure...life...civilisation...8 other members of the menswear team! The office closed early, in fact just 3 hours after I arrived. Back to the Penthouse(tm) I went.

Lori, Jo, our mate Claire and I were all sat in the living room. I was trying to work (on 2 laptops), Lori was watching TV, Jo was working and making pancakes and Claire, who's in the police force, was practicing putting hand-cuffs on people (she's good! - I was her guinea pig) - cabin fever set in! We had to get out the flat so went out and played in the snow, had a bit of snow ball fight, made a half-arsed attempt at making a snowman (I think we managed a snow-cat) and then went for a walk up the road to see the "fit" boys flat and their snowman which was far superior to ours - complete with scarf!

Thankfully, 3 days later and today the white stuff has pretty much gone and I'm hoping the rumours that we're going to get more snow and even sleet aren't true.

When I say rumours I actually mean the BBC forecast, but they're not always right are they? Two words for you...HURRICANE, 1987 (OK 1 word). Whilst I was looking at the BBC website for said forecast (by the way if you're interested, sleet in the morning, snow at lunch, followed by more sleet, topped off with just cloud) I came across some eye witness accounts of that fateful day back in October 1987 when Mr.Fish got it wrong...

"In the early morning my father and I stood looking across Dorking at the utter devastation done to the trees on the horizon. After a few minutes, my father asked me how many trees we had at the end of our garden. I thought for a moment and said, "six". Well, we were down by one. It had fallen away from our garden down the hill onto the houses below. We rushed down the garden terrified as to what had happened - luckily the tree was very polite and the only casualty was a greenhouse. " - Paul Robbins, England.

If anyone asked me how many "polite" trees were at the end of our garden first thing in the morning I would ask them to get their arse out of my bedroom, I wouldn't be rushing to the window plucking numbers out the air.

"I was living in Devon. I woke up and looked out the window to see roof tiles flying horizontally across the garden. I then later found a piece of one embedded 3 cm into a thick wooden door".

Clearly shaken up by this ordeal T Higgins has since moved to Australia.

"Even with both skylights fully open, I slept through the whole damn thing!" - Matt from England.

...There's always one!

Video WOW of the week!

I was out last night for gay work drinks...great night but it left me feeling a little fragile this morning and so I stayed in bed much longer than I should have done and whacked on a dvd instead...Mamma Mia.

I once heard someone say (I think it was Jo or Lori) that Mamma Mia the movie should be handed out by the NHS to cure depression - so true - the film is AMAZING!

Admittedly it takes a little while to get over the sudden bursts into song and the pretty tragic dancing but when you get through that wall...and you take it for what it is (an uber camp knees up) it's genius!

The clip I've chosen is one of my favourites - don't you just wish life was like that? - You're walking down Oxford Street and then all of a sudden everyone in unison joins in the same dance routine, people would be so much happier! Just look at those recent TV adverts where "Plain Clothes Dancers" all start dancing in busy stations with no warning - oh how the people laughed!...*sigh*

Anyway...I'm up, dressed and ready to face the world now, one song at a time.

Starbucks Review No.5 : West End Lane, NW6

It's been over a month since my last Starbucks Review! I've visited (obviously) but actually I'm proud to say that I've cut down a lot!! Think of the pennies that I'm saving!

In fact, the other day I was shopping and I saw these rather cool Thermos flasks, I came up with the fantastic idea that I was going to make coffee in the morning and take it into work, it was going to be the next way that I was going to save money! I already take my lunch in to work from home, so this felt like the natural next step...I then decided that I liked Starbucks too much and that I don't smoke and don't do drugs so should be able to treat myself. My thoughts then evolved, I could buy the cool thermos and pour my Starbucks into it for the office? That's when I realised that I'd gone full circle and it was best to walk away.

This evening I must admit I did pop into Starbucks; my local in fact. I jumped off at West Hampstead, walked down the road and there it is, right next to Costa (never understood that). I would normally show you a map now but the Starbucks website is all confused and isn't pinpointing it...so I haven't, take my word - it's there.

I took note from past experiences and didn't opt for my usual caramel macchiato as I knew it would keep my up all night. I've had a few mega busy days at work and so trying to think calm thoughts I went for the soothing "Calm" Tazo Tea. "A herbal infusion of camomile blossoms, blackberry leaves and rose petals" blah blah...it tasted good, I felt quite healthy sipping it, there was one point when I felt sick but it was just a wave.

Now the important stuff...how do I review this branch? Well clientele (a new judging factor) gets a thumbs up, its near enough trendy West Hampstead to attract the young, beautiful professionals and even sometimes celebs ( I saw that guy from Harry Potter in there the other week, I always think his name is Rick Mayall but it isnt....hmmm...Alan Rickman! that's him!) The place was very clean and the staff very friendly, my "Barista" was smiley and asked if I wanted two 2 tea bags or 1 (I'm greedy, I said 2) very attentive. The atmosphere was chilled but still had that cool London buzz and it is a mere five min walk back to the Penthouse (tm) so that's always a bonus...I give this Starbucks 8 mochas out of 10...a record I think!?

I don't visit this place enough!...It's going to be my new local haunt. I'm go to become one of those cool, cultured, chilled people, I'm going to get up early on the weekend, take a walk up the road, get my coffee and peruse through a newspaper, smiling at the regulars as they come in, perhaps I'll even make some friends? Perhaps join a Starbucks book club?

You wanna be on top?

My My, it's been a whole week since my last update! Do I say I've been mega busy and far too busy to sit down at my laptop and type an entry? or just admit that I just didn't really have very much to say?

The past week has been pretty damn busy but I had many an opportunity to sit down and write a small snippet...thing is...nothing particularly life changing has happened that I felt the need to write about nor have I seen anything on the news (or tube) that I felt the need to use this, my little space on the web, to voice my feelings on so I kept quiet.

That is until tonight...Jo and I sat down to watch the launch of the new cycle of ANTM (that's America's Next Top Model to those not in the know!) I have a feeling it's going to be a good'un!

I guess I should set the scene for those of you who have never seen it. It's a programme hosted by the fabulous Tyra Banks.

Tyra shares my love of windmachines

Tyra (a model herself) along with Miss Jay (who is actually a man who teaches catwalk) and Mr.Jay (who is a creative director, a man but doesn't really act like one) choose a group of girls who are competing to be...America's...Next...Top...Model. The girls go through various challenges and have a photo shoot each episode. Each week the judging panel deliberate and eliminate one of them...The winner, signs a modeling contract, has a front cover photo shoot for some crap magazine and gets the title of "America's Top Model" that is until the next series when it starts over again.

The usual suspects rocked up, a mormon girl who was entering to break free from the shackles of her religion, the uber pretty but uber bitchy girl, the token plus size girl, the slightly butch one and then the NYC Brooklyn "Yeah-that's right girlfriend...I'm black, beautiful and you b*tches might as well leave as I am the next America's Next Top Model - hey!" girl, very predictable.

However, this year also something a bit different Isis, a model who was born a man but lives her life as a woman and is waiting to have the snip. She was spotted last year when she was an extra in the "homeless" shoot, not sure if she was actually homeless or not but that's where she came from. You just couldn't make this stuff up!

I've already got a favourite..Hannah from Alaska! They "don't even have billboards" where she's from so she's pretty excited to get through! A highlight of the show was this random girl, I've forgotten her name already, who was nothing but a cow...she really had an issue with Isis and was saying how everyone tells her that she should be a model and she is willing to stomp out anyone who gets in her way and that Isis shouldn't be in the competition because this was a competition for girls...blah blah....she didn't get through the first round! She broke down in tears...haha great TV!

If you've not watched it...you must! It's on Mondays at 9 o'clock on Living, or 10 o'clock on Living +1 (for obvious reasons). Its got something for everyone, the comedy of Tyra, mixed with the seriousness of the business (it's cut throat I tell thee) and then the fantastic back-stabbing bitchy girls - amazing! Now, I'm going to go to bed now as I need to get my beauty sleep but before I go I have two words of advice for you...firstly never google ANTM as America is a season ahead and you'll ruin the surprise and secondly in the words of Tyra...Keep the face pretty!!