Left To My Own Devices

Very very good indeed!

I seem to have done nothing but have fun over the last week or so - well, apart from have a (physical) fight with 'er indoors and the boy on Sunday morning, but let's not go into too much detail on that one!! Other than to say it was all rather undignified for everyone.

Had a rather wonderful Christmas lunch out with my departmental colleagues last Thursday in a superb Italian restaurant. Drinking started at around 12 midday, which resulted in one colleague making a complete fool of himself. For some of us it was a case of: "Yes, it wasn't me this year!" The stories of what he got up to will be retold and retold and retold for at least another 12 months. Nevertheless, it in no way spoiled a great day out. In fact, it added to it. After our lunch, we met up with colleagues from another department and had a really jolly evening in the pub, with the Reidski and a couple of others spending much money on the quiz machine and being too drunk to answer many questions. And a brief snog with a (female) colleague was about as embarrassing as it got for Reidski - nothing compared to past shameful episodes, it must be said!

Saturday was work. Yes, we have a Saturday shift, which means that, with eight of us in the department, we each do six Saturdays a year - hardly a hardship! I then followed up my shift with a trip into town to do some Christmas shopping, followed again by a night in the pub. I don't normally go to the pub on a Saturday evening, but I knew 'er indoors was wasted in bed at home and the boy was at the cinema with friends. I visited two of my favourite local pubs, the first of which I got spend a very enjoyable couple of pints with a Hibs fan I drink with now and again and followed this up by going to the pub at the end of the street with a couple of my neighbours and got completely stoshus.

Sunday was MENTAL - apart from the fight. Went to drive the boy to his football game only to find that the car wouldn't start. Tried to jump start it without any success whatsoever. With no other parents having turned up to drive the players to the game, meant no joy of getting to game by that method. So, the boy and Reidski get taxi - taxi driver didn't have a clue how to get to the park where the game was being held (there is logic to knowing your way around the city if you are a taxi driver, me thinks) and Reidski had to check the map for directions. Eventually got there and paid the guy £9 - this for a journey of around 3 miles. Turned up to find half of the boy's team-mates there, with the coach's missus making another journey to collect the other half after having dropped the first lot off. No sign of any opponents at this stage, by the way. Other half turn up (with one having to spend the journey in the boot), but still no opponents on the scene. So we waited and waited and waited.......and then decided to go home. The boy and Reidski walk home, which was tiring, but very nice. And then...

...what an unbelievably brilliant Sunday evening we then had. We had invited some neighbourhood friends round for Christmas dinner - some are leaving for Iceland this week and some leaving for Edinburgh. 'er indoors cooked a wonderful roast beef dinner. Apres dinner it was full-on disco, with a fine selection of vinyl and CDs being played. There was much dancing and, when the punk came on, much moshing.

'er indoors and the boy had a night out last night, so Reidski decided to have one of his own. First up after work was a trip to the cinema to see the absolutely brilliant Comme Une Image (Look At Me). It was hilarious at times, but also absolutely sad. I would recommend you see this one, but, of course, not being a Hollywood blockbuster, this may prove difficult for some of you non-metropolitan types. Then, surprise surprise, I was down my local watching the footie and watching a group of the most drunken women attempting to chat up every bloke in there - except me, sad to say.

My cinema trip followed two recent cinema trips to see I Heart Huckabees, which ranks as one of the best and funniest films I have seen in a long time. Tremendous acting, great storyline and wonderful look - this really is film-making at its best. I came out of it thinking that the core message is that gobbledegook new-age thinking is a load of old bollocks - and made me think that I must read Francis Wheen's book How Mumbo Jumbo Took Over the World ( or something like that). We live in an age where people actually take things such as feng shui seriously - totally bonkers, mate! For crazy ideas and beliefs, try this story out.

Anyway, I'm going on a bit tonight, time to shut up...

Before I go, some great sounds coming out of the Reidski's deck tonight - we've already had Morrissey and we're now on The Delgados, while I may give Wire or Wedding Present a spin afterwards.