Running the Risk of Sounding Interesting

Last night I went to a pub quiz at the Aragon with my flatmates and a friend from work. We did badly (but rumour has it that it's the hardest pub quiz in Glasgow). Today I've got a day off so I'm down in Prestwick to visit my folks.

On a more general note, work's going ok - had a bad day yesterday though - loads of difficult calls. Our gas boiler in the flat is broken, so we've been without heating or hot water for a while. As well as the flat being constantly freezing, we have to boil the kettle and pour the hot water into a bucket for use in washing. Cold showers are simply unbearable at this time of year!

Recently, I've been playing guitar a lot and watching The Office on DVD.

Em, I'm afraid I've not much else to say, except that I can't wait 'til spring!

Going Live and Splashing Out

Friday was my first day on the phones proper. However, they couldn't log me in, so I spent the day buddied up with someone else in my team. I listened in for most of the calls and took about 5 or 6 myself. They went ok. I had a couple of slightly irate customers, most notably an angry Welshman, who told me something like: "these bills are a load of crap! let me talk to someone who knows what they're bloody talking about!" Still, not bad for the first day. I actually kind of enjoyed it. It was a lot easier than the buddying week because the call centre wasn't as crowded and noisy and I could actually hear what the customers were saying!

Now that I'm working I can afford to splash out on more things like material goods which I don't really need. Recently I bought a white Fender Stratocaster, a large Marshall amp and a 12-string acoustic guitar with an amazing sound! So, my thirst for material possessions is satisfied for another week. I've taken up playing the guitar again recently, with the intent of recording some stuff eventually.

I had a quiet weekend - didn't really go out anywhere of note. My intended detox hasn't been completely successful; I had a couple of glasses of champagne on Wednesday after the funeral, to toast my papa. On Friday after work, it was difficult to say no to the question of "you coming to the pub?" and I ended up having 2 pints of Stella and a double vodka and coke. Still, not bad by my usual standards. I watched the film "25th Hour" with my flatmate Ruth last night - it was quite good. Also, today I saw "Team America - World Police" at the cinema. It was so damn funny! Go see this film!!!

Well, that's all folks, I'm afraid.

Detox Month Is Nigh

I've decided, once and for all, now that the festive season is over, that I'm not going to drink any alcohol for a whole month (4 weeks) - not even a single bottle of beer, glass of wine etc. None. Over the past couple of months I've consumed a significant quantity of alcohol and as a result my head's a bit up my arse! I'm fed up with this - why can't I go a single weekend without touching a drop of the demon drink?

The problem lies not in my desire to drink regularly but something to do with our annoying binge-drinking culture which states that "to have a good time on a night out you must get drunk" - sad really. Personally I don't really want to get drunk every weekend, but it's just that when I go out with friends they're all drinking and I feel inclined to also so as I don't feel left out (and there's nothing worse than being sober in the company of drunken people). Consider I've been doing this habitually almost every weekend for the past 10 years and you can see why my body needs a rest! How many braincells exactly have I frazzled due to drink? It doesn't bear thinking about. Oh, and there's the hangovers - nasty. Oh and the vast amounts of money spent on achieving inebriation on a night out. Bleh.

Since I moved into my flat, I started drinking a bit more than usual, due to the various social events which cropped up frequently. Then I started work, and as well as the odd few pints during the week, there's been the obligatory trip to the pub with workmates on Friday afternoon (and lunchtime!) . There was also the flat party. And my cousins'/sisters' nite out. And Xmas. Oh, and New Year. Not to mention several other occasions on which I got pissed. If I was to chart them, I'd probably get a shock!

So what's prompted this? Self awareness, obviously, but the main factor has probably been the feelings of tension and unease which I periodically undergo around Monday and Tuesday (sometimes other days too) every week. Initially I blamed this on bad sleep pattern but now I know it can't be - so I now blame it on side effects of alcohol. This would figure because usually if I cross an approximate 4-day threshold without having a drink, the tension eases and gradually disappears.

As I'm not going to touch a drop for the next 4 weeks, I may be going out less at weekends. I could still go out (e.g. to the pub) but would have to drink only soft drinks - I find it too hard to have only 1 or 2 drinks, as after a couple, I no longer care about moderation and end up getting drunk - it's just the same old same old - I never seem to learn. I'm intent on purchasing a couple of new guitars (electric and acoustic) and an amp, and doing some songwriting/recording, and I've taken up reading more, so there's plenty for me to do. The hard part will be either staying in when friends are out or simply sticking to soft drinks while everyone else drinks alcohol. What the hell, though, it's only a month - can't be that hard to do!

So watch this space as my health (hopefully) improves dramatically but my social life deteriorates.

Wish me luck, readers - I'm utterly determined.

Fun's Over

Sigh. Today is my last day of training. Tomorrow and all next week we'll be buddied up with someone and shown the ropes, for some serious call centre action. I'll miss the training; it's been a total skive - 4 weeks of getting paid to do fuck all half the time!

The evil thing is that I'll be on 8am-4.45pm every day next week! Still, I'm sort of looking forward to starting the actual job, as playing internet pool all day can get slightly dull.

Goodbye

Hmmm... bit of a sombre post I'm afraid. My papa died yesterday, all of a sudden. He just keeled over - completely out of the blue. At least it was quick.

I was never particularly close to my papa but he was a very good-natured, very funny man. A hard worker all his life, who raised a good family, and without whom I (and hence this blog) wouldn't exist. He'd not long since moved in with my parents from the house in Kilwinning he'd stayed in for so many years. I'd had the opportunity to speak to him a lot more when I was down visiting, since he'd moved in, and he was always one to raise a smile. He was 85, which is not bad going.

Death's a strange, cruel thing, in that once someone's gone you know you'll never see them again, and all you have is memories and photographs. What the hell, though, we start from nothing, we end up at nothing - meanwhile, life goes on.

R.I.P. John Cornelius.

P.s. apparently he died whilst laughing at someone's joke - not a bad way to go - with a smile on your face!

New Year, New Blog

So, here it is - my blog, back by (sort of) popular demand! As it is the new year, I thought it appropriate to start afresh with a new title, new style, new font and a new direction (possibly). So just for you, loyal readership (all 4 of you), here it is, the moment you've all been anxiously waiting for...

First of all, I hope you guys all had a good Xmas and New Year. Mine was good by the usual standards. Typical new years in the past have included lying on someone's bathroom floor all night after downing 2 bottles of wine, being lured to a party which didn't actually exist, then sitting on a kerb drinking cider, and other ones which were just no fun at all (apart from Martin Tocker's fancy dress party of course!). This year was good though; we went to George Square, where some bands were playing, and it actually didn't rain. We left there before the bells and then went to a ned club called Archaos, which unfortunately wasn't great. Although I liked the music, the place was full of neds and drinks cost ridiculous prices (£4 for a 300ml bottle of beer, I think). After leaving there, we went to a party, which was nice. For me the highlight was that I was with Gillian, otherwise the night would have been mediocre.

Xmas was a typical family affair. We went to my sister Jenny's for dinner, which was very good. Not an exciting year for presents this year - I didn't get much of note except for money and aftershave.

I'm off until Wednesday, and this'll be my last week of training. Next week, we'll be listening in to live calls all week, and hopefully learn a thing or two. After that, we go live, and the job starts properly.

Newsflash - Healthland is no more! It's closed down, gone into administration. They obviously couldn't afford to keep it going - perhaps giving away too many cheap memberships to the likes of me! I'm a bit disappointed, especially as I paid for a years membership, have used just over a months worth and I'm doubtful that I'll get a refund. I'm a bit put off joining another gym, just in case the same happens again! Anyhow, I'll have to find some alternative means of keeping fit.

So what are my plans for the forseeable future? Probably drink a lot less alcohol, do more reading (I recently purchased Inside Out - A Personal History of Pink Floyd, by Nick Mason (Floyd drummer)), start on recording songs, keep the job going for a while and generally see how things work out.

Anyway that's all I have to say for now. Cheerio.