» Siblings

I'll stick to chatting about just one sibling for now...
I've got a bit of an odd family, I suppose technically I'm the eldest of seven, but it's more like five, and in genetic terms I'm actually an only child. I've got two half-sisters, a step-brother and a step-sister. Now, these four are for all intents and purposes my full brothers and sisters. I (until recently) lived with my halves, and see my steps a lot. I've also got two other half-sisters squirelled away somewhere who I never see, but sort of through my own choosing (I have nothing to do with my birth father, as he's done very little raising of me over my 21 years, that's the closest I'll come to a rant).

Anyway, I'm incredibly close to my step-brother, won't hear of anyone referring to him as 'step', he's my brother. Having said that, we've had our scraps over the years.

Once, we had a fight that started in our bedroom and ended in the garden, a real 'World's Longest Punch Up' from the Fast Show.

I clobbered him across the back with a vacuum cleaner pole/tube, because he told me the football scores before Match of the Day was on. I gave him an asthma attack, and was banned from watching or playing football for a month.

He constantly stole my CDs and games for a while; I'd go to a case and it'd be empty save a little note explaining it had been 'borrowed'. I've had to rebuy some CDs three or four times, and I've just had a game go missing within the last week.

Many, many instances of pushing each other off of climbing frames/out of trees/into ponds. We used to play 'Gladiators' back in the days of Fashanu and Ulrika, and I once threw him off of our bunk bed so hard I thought he'd go through the floor.

Still, 10 years or so later, we're incredibly close, as I've said. He took it really hard when I left for uni, apparently, and so since moving him I've seen a lot of him. We went for our first ever brotherly big night out a month or so ago, and it was honestly one of the best night outs I've ever had. We even did the Scrubs 'He ain't heavy, he's my brother' carrying at the end of it. Fantastic.

He takes great delight in knowing he's the younger, cooler one as well.

So, yeah. Can't live with 'em (cause he lives with his mum), can't stove 'em to death.. cause I love my little brother.
(Fri 26th Dec 2008, 16:18, More)

» Festivals

Miracles can happen...
Reading, 2008. My first time at this festival (I'd been to V 2006, but that's a bit different, and this time I was with my mates), and I'd made it to Sunday night without too much drama. Granted, the people camping next to us (friends of friends of friends don't make the best camping buddies) almost set our tent on fire Saturday night, but I'd had a sweet weekend.

Sunday night came and I left my metal fan friends to go to the second stage on my own. Conor Oberst, very good. The Last Shadow Puppets, excellent, no drama, looking forward to the Cribs. I want to celebrate making it to the end of the weekend in style.

So during the second-to-last Cribs song I decide to crowd-surf from 40-odd feet away from the stage. I'm not best suited, I'm six foot, and all knees and elbows. Sorry if you were one of the many I landed on on the way.

Anyway, karma meant that I lost my trainer. I was quite gutted, I'd made it so far and it's all gone to pot. Nevermind, I brought it on myself, I watched the last song from the side of the tent then as people were leaving thought I'd have a poke around in the rubbish to find it. People were being ushered out quickly, and a security guard came over as I was trying to retrace my journey to the front of crowd.

"Come on mate, we need to pack up, move out of the tent"

"But I've lost my shoe..." (Probably half-wailed in despair)

"You need to go NOW!"

Head down, I turned to leave, when something caught my eye.

On the ground.

In front of me.

MY TRAINER!

Kids, a lot of beautiful moments happen at festivals - love, great music. But nothing can compare to the sheer joy of knowing you don't have to spend the walk to the tent and a hungover coach journey to Bristol wearing one shoe.
(Fri 5th Jun 2009, 18:59, More)

» Workplace Boredom

I'm a cover teacher
And so, the only lessons I work are the ones where the usual teachers are away. Still, I have to be in from 8:30 until 3:15, so if there's no-one away, I get the chance to sit in the staffroom and drink tea.

I've got a work laptop, but sadly the teachers don't get any priviledges, and we're stuck with the same list of blocked sites as the kids. So that's no Facebook, no xkcd, certainly no b3ta (I quite like my job, thanks). I usually find myself frantically pressing refresh on bbc.co.uk, hoping for a major traffic accident or something just so I have something to read.

So I have to try and find other things to amuse myself. My current favourite is trying to do as many laps of the school as I can in ten minutes, then trying to beat the record. So far my record's six, it would be more but people keep stopping me to ask me questions.

Any other suggestions for things to do would be gratefully welcomed.
(Sat 10th Jan 2009, 20:25, More)

» Banks

I actually can't complain about my bank at the moment.
I realised last week that I was being charged interest on my student overdraft, when I shouldn't be. So I went into the bank (Natwest if you care) to explain, fully expecting a six-week running battle with them required details of every transaction I've made over the last 5 years. But no, they just asked me when I left uni, and refunded me the money, which I'm just waiting to be credited now.

Considering the horror stories I've read on here already, this is verr nice :D
(Thu 16th Jul 2009, 23:38, More)

» Nightclubs

Brilliant timing...
I went to a nightclub last night. I then got in a massive fight with my girlfriend, who's since dumped me, and managed to seriously upset my best friend, who's not talking to me.

Cheers!
(Thu 9th Apr 2009, 20:11, More)