Broadband - Oh how we take it for Granted...

Before I start I want to say a belated Happy Birthday to my blogging inspiration DA. I first got excited by Corinne's writings as her alter ego Ladybyronette and now for the past year I have been excited and inspired almost every day by her posts on Distant aggravation.
I did have a much longer entry prepared for publishing on Saturday but I have been Internetless since Saturday morning.

We were attacked by the Spy Sheriff virus along with several of its little friends and after taking all day to get rid of the bugger I was left with no internet connection and no access to my emails (Although curiously enough, I was able to connect to MSN)
After staying up most of the night both Saturday and Sunday I finally managed to work out that I had to change the proxy settings to connect at all. It is only just this evening that I have been able to connect to my email server after finding that it is my firewall and AV that was stopping me. This means I have to find new programs from now on to make my computer safe.

The middle of the night

The most frightening thing is to have an asthma attack in the middle of the night. I have all my inhalers by the side of the bed but typically my ventolin (Blue inhaler) had run out and I hadn't replaced it. So coughing and gasping for breath I scrabbled around and found only empty boxes in the drawers.
I managed to crawl downstairs and find my other inhaler and collapsed in a heap on the lounge floor.

I woke a couple of hours later still in a heap on the floor so I hawled myself back up to bed, grasping my inhaler tightly in my hand of course.

We are not a threat, We're Salvation

At Christmas time, I got together lists from everyone of what they wanted for Christmas.
My sister had mostly DVD boxsets on her lists and after perusing EBay, I decided on the 4400 season 1 boxset. I think I got a bit carried away though as when it came to wrapping everything up I found that I had bought 3 sets. 2 of them were the original retail edition of Season 1 and the other was a copied set of the season 1 & season 2 DVDs.

So, I gave my sister 1 of the retail sets which she was very happy with, I sold another set back on EBay for a small profit and I kept the copied Season 1&2 discs for myself.
I did actually watch most of Season 1 when It was on Sky earlier last year but I never got round to season 2 as it always seem to clash with something I was already watching.

This week I have been spending all my spare time watching the whole of season 2 (Along with DD who has been off school and is now hooked on it too) When It came to watching the final episode this morning, I cried out a long scream of frustration as now, Just like the LOST series, I am desperate for the next season to find out how it all develops. No hopes of copied US discs though as the third season hasn't even gone into production so heaven knows when we will get it in the UK.

As with all these wonderful series' just in case you haven't seen it, there is some lovely eye candy for the ladies with Shawn Farrell - actor Patrick Flueger
I have already downloaded the screensaver ;-)

Do you ever think of me.

Was flicking through the channels last night when I came across the video for Anthony Costa's new Debut solo single Do you ever think of me. Extremely different to the classic Blue stuff and surprisingly good. Obviously the Pop-tish of Blue wasn't his cup of tea and he is trying to be true to his own tastes. Maybe trying to emulate Bryan Adams crossed with Robbie Williams...Aren't they always trying to be the New Robbie Williams?
Unfortunately however good he might be and however many fans he might have, It most likely won't come to much as even the gorgeous voice, lyrics and tunes of Lee Ryan (Former Blue bandmate) didn't seem to enchant enough to get to the top. Lee has had 3 singles so far off his debut solo album but you wouldn't really know it if you weren't paying much attention.

Of course all this means nothing as deep down I want to be lying in bed flicking through the music channels and seeing Alistair Griffin on there. I want to be hearing his gorgeous songs and voice and seeing his beautiful face on my screen. I get so worked up and angry because it isn't fair that just because they were in a boyband they get an automatic second chance to write and sing their own songs (although I highly doubt that Costa's release was penned by him) Then there is the added annoyance that Alistair himself only missed out to the non-talent of Simon Webb to be in the band in the first place.

........And don't get me started at the attempt at solo success of ex-kitten Liz McClarnon (A Barbara Streisand Cover!!!)

Welcome to the house of germs

This weekend we have all been in quarantine. DD is very ill with some kind of flu bug. She is deathly pale and cannot breathe through her nose at all. She was quite weak on Saturday night but yesterday managed to eat some dinner and some fruit too.
DS wasn't quite so bad. He is never ill for very long but I can just feel the germs swimming around the room.
You know I am gonna come down with it at some point so if I disappear from the radar you know that I am most likely dying on the sofa.

TFIF

Went along to the bank with my passport and they gave me some money no problem, Only wish I had taken a bit more than I did as not sure I can last till Monday. Just shows how much we take the ATM system for granted these days...until we can't use it.

Got myself a nice little bag. It is a bit like my old one but a bit different (If you see what I mean) I also managed to get myself a new purse in the sale...only 95p which is a great bargain especially for a tight arse like me!!

Deeply Dippy

I know I can be scatty but today is one of those days where I could kick myself for being such a ditzy cow.

This afternoon I had to meet DS after school for an opticians appt. Although it has only been 4 months since he got his last prescription, he is having problems at school seeing the board so I thought it best to have his eyes checked out again. Its a good job I did as his eyes have worsened considerably (like a growth spurt really as the Optician said it is to be expected at his age)

So we had to wait an hour while the glasses were made up. I didn't really have any money on me so we couldn't go for a drink or anything so we went and sat down on a bench for a while. Then I remembered that I have an M&S voucher that I got for Christmas so we decided to go have a look in there to kill some time. (I didn't find anything I liked)

When we got back to the opticians I suddenly realised that I didn't have my handbag, I had a couple of bags of shopping that I had got earlier but no handbag. I suddenly panicked and the assistant said she would deal with DS while I go look. I went straight to the bench where we sat as It is more than likely that is where I left it. Of course this is me so it wasn't there. I asked in a couple of nearby shops if it had been handed in but nothing. I re-traced my steps round all the shops we visited since we left the opticians the first time but no luck. My phone and my keys were in my coat pocket but not my inhaler which, at this time, I was in need of quite bad.

I know I have no chance of getting it back.
I haven't really lost much of value. There was a few pound coins in there that I had been saving for the TV meter, my M&S voucher, a shopping voucher that my sister gave me, about 50p in change. Also there was my ATM card which I easily cancelled as soon as I got in, all more store loyalty cards which I have found that I could cancel and order new ones online. I am just so annoyed at myself that I could so happily have wandered around town not even noticing that I didn't have my bag. I used to carry around this huge shoulder bag that I got the piss taken out of regularly, Had I been carrying that I would never have left it...

The only good thing that I can think of to make me smile about the whole stupid thing is that I get to go out and buy a new Handbag....

Reality My Arse!!!

After my recent foray back into the world of reality TV (Soapstar Superstar, Dancing on Ice, Celebrity Jungle) I decided I might try and get back into the world of Big Brother with the latest Celeb series.
Well If that is entertainment, It is enough to put you off for life. I have only watched 5 minutes here and there and I don't know how anyone is getting excited about it. Watching that lot is making me want to get a shotgun and fire it off at the TV.
I can't wait till it is all over and normal service is resumed on E4 (I really miss Peep show in the evenings)


Thank God I have my Lost season 2 DVDs to keep me occupied!

There's oversleeping.......

.....and there's oversleeping.
Waking up at 9.40am when the kids were meant to be in school at 8.30am isn't good. Heaven knows what happened to the alarm this morning!

That'll teach me

Sat up late last night watching all the bonus features on the Lost DVD.
Got up late this morning to find the school jumpers and PE kits still sitting sopping wet in the Dryer. Frantic praying to the drying fairy and managed to get the School jumpers dry but had to send DD off with and old jumper to wear for PE...not that that is easy as she only has 2 jumpers that fit her now anyway.

Never see Craig Harris in the same light again

Well, I have been sworn off Reality type shows ever since FA and the discovery of the Gorgeous Mr Griffin. The last 3 years I have stayed well away from the likes of X-Factor, Pop Idol, Big Brother and all the other million shows of the same format.

However this week I have been glued to the screen for Soapstar Superstar. I thought it would just be a laugh. I am a big Soap fan and so I know all the characters like my own family but who knew they were going to be so talented?!
It was quite obvious from the beginning that even in the tough competition, young Corrie star Richard Fleeshman was a very strong frontrunner for the title. He has everything, in fact what Simon Cowell might call The X-Factor. I actually found myself getting all excited and emotionally involved and feeling just like a I did 3 years ago watching FA2. Thank God it is only a week long show otherwise I would probably be a wreck by the end of it!

Tonight was the Grand Finale. The 2 finalists were Richard and fellow Corrie star Andy Whyment (Kirk Sutherland). In My opinion the 2 biggest talents on the show.

The moment of the whole show for me was hearing Richard singing Wherever you will go. Over the past 3 years this has become a bit of an anthem for Griffin fans. I think we have all forgotten that it was actually originally a song by The Calling...for us it is Al's song. Corrine explains how it felt when Alistair left it out of his set list for the first ever time. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it really but I just had tears streaming down my cheeks although I was grinning...I sort of wandered off back to when Alistair sang it on FA......

I am so glad I decided to record the final tonight.

Richard Fleeshman is the very worthy winner of Soapstar Superstar and at the age of 16 it can only be onward and upward for him....He says that he has his whole life ahead of him and doesn't want to rush into anything but he is so grounded, he has great parents and obviously great people around him that I think he could get himself a Popstar career and yet still stay in Corrie as the Goth styled Romeo to Rosie's Juliet for very many years to come.

WELL DONE LAD YOU SO DESERVE IT!!!!!!!!!

Saturday the 14th

I got through the day quite safely I am happy to say.

In fact the day was quite a non-entity as days go. Got up, waited for parcel to be delivered, went to town, came home, ate lunch and then watched "5 children and It" on Sky movies...I have seen parts of it but this time I got to see the whole movie from beginning to end!!! It right took me back to the good old days of my childhood *sigh*

Friday 13th (part one)

It didn't start well. I woke with a start to find that the house was in darkness which means the electric had gone. I scrambled around for my specs and slippers and ran downstairs as the only wasy of telling the time in the whole house without Electricity is my mobile phone which was in the front room somewhere. I openede the curtains and switched the fire on to get as much light as possible.
Luckily for me it was only 6.10 so I threw on some clothes and my coat and walked up to the local all night garage to get some elctric cards.

I can feel it is going to be a long day today.....

The numbers are bad, The numbers are bad!!

OK, so I cheated, I bought the DVD box set from Ebay and watched the end already. I just couldn't hang on until tonight.
It was pretty eye opening and scary and even tear-jerking in parts. I laughed as Hurley tried to make his way to the plane and I cried when Walt was taken...I even cried at the bit where they were showing everyone taking their seats.

So now the mystery is what is down the hatch......
Of course I may as well admit it, I have already bought the DVD set of the first 9 episodes of the next season, so will I be able to keep it to myself??

Now going off for a Lost Marathon as I attempt to watch the whole series back to back to try and spot the clues and conspiracy theories.

FLOWERS!!!

As I was sat here staring out the window looking at the miserable and grey weather outside (Trying to summon up the muster to actually go out in it) there was a knock at my door. Embarrassingly I was still in my PJs. I peeped through the door and the man presented me with a white box.
Inside the box was a gorgeous bunch of flowers from a friend.

Isn't it amazing how a gesture like that can change your day completely and how we can have many friends all around the country that we don't see very much but they can still touch your heart.

I think I am ready to face the elements now!!!

Thank You very much for brightening my day