Here's last week's top picks music lovers!
Top weekly tracks:
Top weekly artists:
Overall top tracks:
Overall top artists:
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Last.FM listening post
Here's last week's top picks music lovers!
Top weekly tracks:
Top weekly artists:
Overall top tracks:
Overall top artists:
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Back to the office, automation, RAW and Big Bang Theory
It was back to the office today. It's always a real come down after having a long weekend!
We have a couple of guys over from Vancouver at the moment (my boss and his #1) to keep us entertained. Could prove to be an interesting week LOL
A lot of my day was spent banging my head against the wall with some test automation. Management love automated testing but have no real concept of how it deskills testers and creates programmers not to mention the maintenance overheads that it creates. It would appear to be a necessary evil though and does have it's uses in small doses so we'll keep pressing on with it.
Having watched Wrestlemania last night we had to catch up with RAW.It wasn't a bad show and it was so nice to see a vociferous crowd that were more in favour of the heels rather than the faces which made for some interesting reactions during the matches. An additional bonus was the absence of The Rock which can only be a good thing in my book!
Chocolate, tea and Big Bang Theory rounded the day off!
We have a couple of guys over from Vancouver at the moment (my boss and his #1) to keep us entertained. Could prove to be an interesting week LOL
A lot of my day was spent banging my head against the wall with some test automation. Management love automated testing but have no real concept of how it deskills testers and creates programmers not to mention the maintenance overheads that it creates. It would appear to be a necessary evil though and does have it's uses in small doses so we'll keep pressing on with it.
Having watched Wrestlemania last night we had to catch up with RAW.It wasn't a bad show and it was so nice to see a vociferous crowd that were more in favour of the heels rather than the faces which made for some interesting reactions during the matches. An additional bonus was the absence of The Rock which can only be a good thing in my book!
Chocolate, tea and Big Bang Theory rounded the day off!
Monday, 8 April 2013
RIP Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Spices, returning home and Wrestlemania 29
I posted this on Facebook yesterday when I heard the news that Margaret Thatcher had died. I had an inkling that Facebook would be full of horrible bile and vitriol and I wasn't wrong so I felt the need to post the following: "RIP Margaret Thatcher. Whilst I may not have been her number one fan during her active political years I am not going to join the sad lemming bandwagon in suggesting parties and celebrations. She was an old woman who was very ill. If you think that you are valid political adjutant then do something about the current government rather than picking on someone who hasn't actually been involved for twenty one years."
I was saddened to see how many of many friends felt the need to spout forth a load of disrespectful stuff. Whilst I appreciate that the Iron Lady didn't exactly make herself popular during her terms of office I was still amazed at how much anger people had considering that people seem quite happy to let Cameron and company rip apart society as we know it today.
We took mum out for lunch at Jimmy Spices before heading back to London. Needless to say there was a lot of food consumed as is befitting of the wonders of the buffet style restaurant!
Our evening was finished off with Wrestlemania 29. This wasn't a bad little pay per view. There were a couple of OK matches and some really good ones. Orton, Sheamus and Big Show versus The Shield was a reasonable starter and I was delighted to see The Shield pick up the victory. The Miz versus Barrett was quite good and it was nice to see a title change hands. Jericho v Fandango was piss poor. I really hated this and I was surprised that even Jericho wasn't able to carry Fandango and make this match good. Hopefully that little feud will be short lived. Although it was not a match full of great moves I was pleased to see Mark Henry snuff out Ryback. This was purely a battle of strength. It was no surprise to see Team Hell No defeat Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston. Ziggler shouldn't be getting in used in ad hoc tag team when he is a true main event singles performer. Alberto Del Rio v Jack Swagger was not a great match but at least Del Rio retained his belt. This is another feud that needs to end soon, it's gone on too long and is boring.
Match of the night for me was CM Punk v The Undertaker. There was no way that The Undertaker was going to walk away from this without a 21 - 0 record of Wrestlemania wins but both men put on great performances and sold the bout well even if the end wasn't really in doubt. There were lots of close calls and nice little twists and turns before The Undertaker finally pulled off the final Tombstone and took out CM Punk.
Brock Lesnar v HHH was a brutal slugfest. It wasn't an elegant match but it was entertaining including Lesnar's failed ROAR! I was surprised that HHH won as I had figured this was the perfect opportunity for him to take on his backstage role full time but I guess it leave Lesnar with something to prove going forward.
Final match was John Cena v The Rock for the WWE Championship. I am not a fan of either wrestler but I'll take Cena over The Rock any day. This was not a wrestling classic and was quite poor for a main event match, it was more like a battle of the finishing moves. I was delighted (and surprised at the same time) to see John Cena walk away with the belt. I really thought that the WWE would let The Rock retain it but I'm glad they didn't. No doubt he'll be skipping off back to Hollywood soon.
So there you have it. It wasn't a classic Wrestlemania. It lacked some of the sparkle and strong matches from previous years but it was entertaining nonetheless and well worth watching.
I was saddened to see how many of many friends felt the need to spout forth a load of disrespectful stuff. Whilst I appreciate that the Iron Lady didn't exactly make herself popular during her terms of office I was still amazed at how much anger people had considering that people seem quite happy to let Cameron and company rip apart society as we know it today.
We took mum out for lunch at Jimmy Spices before heading back to London. Needless to say there was a lot of food consumed as is befitting of the wonders of the buffet style restaurant!
Our evening was finished off with Wrestlemania 29. This wasn't a bad little pay per view. There were a couple of OK matches and some really good ones. Orton, Sheamus and Big Show versus The Shield was a reasonable starter and I was delighted to see The Shield pick up the victory. The Miz versus Barrett was quite good and it was nice to see a title change hands. Jericho v Fandango was piss poor. I really hated this and I was surprised that even Jericho wasn't able to carry Fandango and make this match good. Hopefully that little feud will be short lived. Although it was not a match full of great moves I was pleased to see Mark Henry snuff out Ryback. This was purely a battle of strength. It was no surprise to see Team Hell No defeat Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston. Ziggler shouldn't be getting in used in ad hoc tag team when he is a true main event singles performer. Alberto Del Rio v Jack Swagger was not a great match but at least Del Rio retained his belt. This is another feud that needs to end soon, it's gone on too long and is boring.
Match of the night for me was CM Punk v The Undertaker. There was no way that The Undertaker was going to walk away from this without a 21 - 0 record of Wrestlemania wins but both men put on great performances and sold the bout well even if the end wasn't really in doubt. There were lots of close calls and nice little twists and turns before The Undertaker finally pulled off the final Tombstone and took out CM Punk.
Brock Lesnar v HHH was a brutal slugfest. It wasn't an elegant match but it was entertaining including Lesnar's failed ROAR! I was surprised that HHH won as I had figured this was the perfect opportunity for him to take on his backstage role full time but I guess it leave Lesnar with something to prove going forward.
Final match was John Cena v The Rock for the WWE Championship. I am not a fan of either wrestler but I'll take Cena over The Rock any day. This was not a wrestling classic and was quite poor for a main event match, it was more like a battle of the finishing moves. I was delighted (and surprised at the same time) to see John Cena walk away with the belt. I really thought that the WWE would let The Rock retain it but I'm glad they didn't. No doubt he'll be skipping off back to Hollywood soon.
So there you have it. It wasn't a classic Wrestlemania. It lacked some of the sparkle and strong matches from previous years but it was entertaining nonetheless and well worth watching.
Sunday, 7 April 2013
EIHL Play Off Weekend - Day 2
Another early breakfast run and then it was back to the National Ice Centre for the second day of the Play Off Weekend.
BRONZE MEDAL: Devils v Blaze
Same regs as yesterday, flag girls:
It's not often you get to catch a puck going in the net so I was VERY pleased that I managed to capture this!
Craig Kowalski (Nottingham Panthers) also receives a well earned Man Of The Match award:
Young mascots parading flags from all the Elite League teams
Belfast Giants receive their medals:
Nottingham Panthers receive their medals and trophy:
We Are #1:
It was fantastic to be back at the NIC for the Elite League Play Off Finals Weekend. We haven't been for a while but I don't think we'll be missing any more! We are currently planning our hockey fix for the 2013/14 season come September. Panthers and Blaze had our support this weekend but next year I am hoping that the Edinburgh Capitals will finally be there and then I will be firmly behind them!
After all the excitement we went out for one last meal before driving back to Stratford-upon-Avon and spent the night at mum's.
BRONZE MEDAL: Devils v Blaze
Same regs as yesterday, flag girls:
Welsh anthem
British anthem
This match was truly dire. Neither team seemed to want to play it. There were NO penalties called at all and it was a really soft hitting game. I guess the views of the teams became very clear after the first period when they played the remainder of the game with their back up netminders. It was an interesting game to watch but was a VERY poor show for a play off game but fair play to both teams for giving the back ups some decent ice time. The Blaze walked away with an 11 - 5 win which is NOT the sort of score you would expect to see!
It's not often you get to catch a puck going in the net so I was VERY pleased that I managed to capture this!
PLAY OFF FINAL: Nottingham Panthers 3 Belfast Giants 2 (after overtime)
Flag girls:
Anthem:
Now this was Play Off hockey! It was a close fought and very hard hitting match. It was seat of your pants stuff. Panthers moved ahead and it looked like they were then when the Giants fought back to leave the game tied 2 - 2 at the end of the third period. My heart was in my throat during sudden death overtime with both teams pulling out all the stops to try and claim a win. Thankfully the Panthers managed to get the job done and emerged 2013 Play Off Champions.
Stephen Murphy (Belfast Giants) receives a much deserved Man Of The Match award:
Craig Kowalski (Nottingham Panthers) also receives a well earned Man Of The Match award:
Belfast Giants receive their medals:
Nottingham Panthers receive their medals and trophy:
We Are #1:
It was fantastic to be back at the NIC for the Elite League Play Off Finals Weekend. We haven't been for a while but I don't think we'll be missing any more! We are currently planning our hockey fix for the 2013/14 season come September. Panthers and Blaze had our support this weekend but next year I am hoping that the Edinburgh Capitals will finally be there and then I will be firmly behind them!
After all the excitement we went out for one last meal before driving back to Stratford-upon-Avon and spent the night at mum's.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Seeing Sophie, Scarlett and Kenzie
After the games today Sophie came and met us with Scarlett and Kenzie at the National Ice Centre. There were lots of cuddles with the kids. I cannot say how pleased I am that we could all meet up and spend time together. After a few failed attempts at getting into a restaurant we finally managed to get in to a Bella Italia for something to eat.
We all had a great time chilling out with the babies. Here they are!
We all had a great time chilling out with the babies. Here they are!
Sadly our time ran out all too quickly but we have said that we will be back in a couple of months and will arrange to see them all again when we do.
EIHL Play Off Weekend - Day 1
It was a reasonably early start as we had to pop over to the pub for our breakfast as the Premier Inn that we were staying in had no catering facilities. This wasn't a problem though as the breakfast was lovely.
Suitably stocked up on food we stuck on our hockey battle gear and headed into town on the bus to the National Ice Centre.
Toni, Gemima and I headed off to our seats while mum and Sam went off to theirs.
We were right on the back row which is a great view although a little short on air!
SEMI FINAL 1: Nottingham Panthers 6 Cardiff Devils 3
National anthems followed with both teams lined up on the ice:
This was pretty good match. Things started badly with the Devils getting the first goal and I had started to fear the worst. Thankfully the tide slowly turned for the Panthers and they came out victors with a 6 - 3 win.
This match was a bit of a shocker. Coventry Blaze were very poor and Belfast completely dominated. It was very clear that this was going to be a forgone conclusion with the Giants coming out with a very easy 5 - 1 win.
Suitably stocked up on food we stuck on our hockey battle gear and headed into town on the bus to the National Ice Centre.
Toni, Gemima and I headed off to our seats while mum and Sam went off to theirs.
I did manage to get a photo of mum and Sam although it was a little blurry as it was on 48x digital zoom!
Which brought us nicely onto the matches:
SEMI FINAL 1: Nottingham Panthers 6 Cardiff Devils 3
The teams came out to two flag bearers.
Next up was a ceremonial puck drop:
National anthems followed with both teams lined up on the ice:
This was pretty good match. Things started badly with the Devils getting the first goal and I had started to fear the worst. Thankfully the tide slowly turned for the Panthers and they came out victors with a 6 - 3 win.
SEMI FINAL 2: Belfast Giants 5 Coventry Blaze 1
The teams came out to two flag bearers.
National anthem followed with both teams lined up on the ice:
It was a good start to the Play Off Weekend and Panthers v Giants in the final is going to be a really good game. It was so nice to be back at a live ice hockey match, I've missed it!
Friday, 5 April 2013
Off to Nottingham
It was a half day of work today which was nice. Toni, mum, Sam, Gemima and I loaded up The Beast and headed off to Nottingham for the weekend. Our journey had two aims. The first was to see Sophie and the kids and the second was to enjoy the Elite Ice Hockey League Play Off weekend. We made good time and check into our hotel, the Premier Inn a few miles outside of Nottingham city centre.
We had originally been meant to see Sophie and the kids today but this plan ended up getting changed as the kids were still in Essex with Shane. We did get to see Sophie though and had a lovely catch up and had a meal at the pub next door to our hotel. As the original plan had changed we then arranged to see Scarlett and Kenzie tomorrow after the ice hockey instead.
It was good to see Sophie again as it had been far too long. All is good with her and she is studying hard at the moment and has successfully completed 7 of her 12 assignments before she is qualified and can become a teaching assistant.
We had originally been meant to see Sophie and the kids today but this plan ended up getting changed as the kids were still in Essex with Shane. We did get to see Sophie though and had a lovely catch up and had a meal at the pub next door to our hotel. As the original plan had changed we then arranged to see Scarlett and Kenzie tomorrow after the ice hockey instead.
It was good to see Sophie again as it had been far too long. All is good with her and she is studying hard at the moment and has successfully completed 7 of her 12 assignments before she is qualified and can become a teaching assistant.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Another full house
It was another full house today. Tristan had come to see Sam and was staying the night. We were also joined by my mum who was coming to stay ready for us all to head off Nottingham.
Chat, wine and Chinese food made a nice relaxing evening!
Chat, wine and Chinese food made a nice relaxing evening!
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Last.FM listening post
Here's last week's top picks music lovers!
Top weekly tracks:
Top weekly artists:
Overall top tracks:
Overall top artists:
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