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Showing posts from 2010

And That's Me For The Year - HAPPY YULETIDE

I'm sure there's value in doing a retrospective but really 2011 is already so chock full of promise and adventure that 2010 has already started to fade. BUT, before I go here's the 2010 Days of Christmas As is becoming something of a tradition here at the blog, this is my Yuletide posting about all that you should know for Christmas. But let's just take a moment in the busy day to remember what it's all about - the people you love. I'm thinking of the people you love right now ... are you thinking of mine? Of course, it's not just about family and friends (if that's who I was thinking of) but also presents, alcohol and oodles of sitting around in the sun (hardy har har Northern Hempishpereans!) If Jesus is you thing, I mean, if he's your bag, what you're into man then do the religious thing as well. Just don't get all "God" over Christmas and try to remember that it was originally a pagan festival around the longest day, certainly

Laboratory Prank [video]

Fuck me!

Nice Article About How The Miramar Roxy Cinema Used To Be

This is from CapitalTimes.co.nz http://www.capitaltimes.co.nz/article/3612/Heartbeat.html ) - I reproduce it in full as I don't know how long they keep articles up online* Psychologists have found that the majority of our clearest and most vivid memories come from the period between adolescence and young adulthood, a time they call our “reminiscence bump”. Retired lawyer Doug Webb’s reminiscence bump features many memories of Miramar, and of adventures to its picture theatre. DOUG Webb moved to Miramar with his family in 1950 when he was four and stayed there for 20 years. Almost every Saturday afternoon Webb and his brother would venture on foot to Capitol Cinema – Miramar’s very own picture theatre. “Most families didn’t have cars, and especially in an area like the Eastern suburbs, the local picture theatre was it for the weekend,” says Webb. “It was a big deal for kids right across the Miramar suburb. The theatre would be bulging both upstairs and downstairs. Would you expect a

The Hand Of Google Books

Look what I just found on a page 16 of "Wuthering Heights" via Google Books Go to http://goo.gl/Esg0g and check it out (page 16) ...

Christmas 2010 Around The World In 37 Pictures

Boston.com's Big Picture is THE best place to get the latest topical photographs that will astound, challenge and please you. For instance check out their, Beginning to look a lot like Christmas , set: In many places around the world, it is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Santas are making appearances from Beijing to Beirut, and the traditions of the season can be seen all over - the trees, the lights, the shoppers, the devout and more. Collected here are a handful of recent photographs of people enjoying and celebrating this year's Christmas Season as it hits full swing. [Editor's note: This year, I'll be inviting you to submit your own Christmas 2010 photos, starting December 26th. Details coming soon, here and on Twitter (@big_picture) ] So many to choose from but I think my favourite is ...

So You'll Be Offended

Nothing happens if you're offended, move on! @philipreeve got a little offended/angsty/agitated by my Martin Snedden post and called it , " PC bollocks".

Awwwww, Too Cute!

       

".. most important thing for New Zealanders is the hosting of the World Cup, not the winning of it."

(source: Telegraph, "New Zealand urged to enjoy hosting World Cup rather than worrying about winning it" ) I couldn't agree with Martin Snedden more! If Kiwis focus on the All Blacks 100% then they are gonna miss out on a massive event, great rugby and the chance of a lifetime to meet and party with awesome visitors. I for one will be taking the following into the competition: Hope the All Blacks win Hope Wales do awesomely and make it to the semi's See every game somehow Meet at least one native of all the competing countries Have a blast with the surrounding events The order of what's most important will likely change day-by-day and I certainly won't struggle if the All Blacks get knocked out in the pool rounds with only 1 of my 5 dependent upon them. If the All Blacks AND Wales get knocked out in the pool rounds then I'm stuck with watching rugby, meeting new people and having a blast - not so bad eh!

Wiley Vs. Rhodes [video]

Found this via the avalanche of Neatorama links in my Google Reader: Apache Pictures made a short film that imagines Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner as human beings. It’s called Wiley vs. Rhodes. The special effects are impressive for an independent short film.

A Stunning Frosty Day In Monmouth

Seems like the frost hit Monmouth (Wales, UK) tough last week having many photographers rush out to capture stunning images. Being the owner of the Flickr group, Monmouth (Wales, UK) , I am constantly on the trawl for awesome pictures of my 'growing-up place' and look what I found from Keith Moseley ( imaginedhorizon ) a long time and frequent contributor to the group. And the same goes for Bill ( stillbase ) also a fantastic contributor to the group and very proudly had the following 'Monmouth in frost' photos on the Fickr front page gaining him much deserved exposure I urge you to click through and see the many other photos - here's a sampling from the Flickr group itself

Wellington Cafe's With Wifi

[Updated] From @AdamShand - "updated my "Welly Wifi" map with your new suggestions: http://tinyurl.com/wellywifi " Earlier today I tweeted the following question Wgtn peeps, where's a good cafe with wifi (free awesome) for a weekly breakfast catchup (thinking 10+ attendees but likely to grow)? And the response was almost instant and very VERY useful. @jo9ty then asked Will you put the info you've received re cafes with wifi in Wellington, onto your blog at some point? And I thought, absolutely ... but I wonder how to easily collect the tweets. I then recalled others popping tweets into a Google Spreadsheet for archival and wondered if I could automatically capture the tweets coming through into a Google Spreadsheet, I mean both Google and Twitter are on the web right, surelly this should be easy. Easy, it was more than that, it was done for me! A Google search lead me to share the info via my work Twitter account (@WaveAdept) Wanna get/keep a Google Spread

Rugby World Cup 2011 Fixture iCal Calendar

The calendar has now morphed into the ongoing International Rugby Fixtures iCal Calendar ...

BBC Books - Those What I Have Read-ed

A friend of mine, Jane Harris (@harrismint), recently "tagged my in a Facebook note" ... no, I had no idea what that meant either but the outcome was that I was taken to this Facebook page and discovered the list of books you see below with the following instructions: Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses!  As I hate playing in confined spaces (Facebook is very good at having you give them stuff but loathes letting stuff out) I thought I'd forget the "tagging on Facebook" and post it here for all and sundry to play with. 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series -

Happy 5th Meg - A Little Trip Back Down The First Five Years

The Very Best Of Wellington - VOTE!

Voting is open in The Annual Wellingtonsta Awards (TAWA) ... have at it! Closes December 1st! Categories Best Café Best BYO Best Restaurant Best Drink in Town Best Late Night Experience Best Service Best Coffee Best Regular Entertainment Best Live Performance Best Event Best Outdoors Experience Best Suburban Destination Best Art Experience Best Shopping Experience Most Needed Most Missed Best Contribution to the Internet by a Wellingtonian Best Thing About Wellington Just some of the prizes you can win on Dec 3 at #TAWA5 Cultured Petone – A basket of goodies Downstage - Theatre tickets Emma Makes – Pencil sets Floriditas – Restaurant vouchers Frank Kitts Markets – Market money Grow From Here – Plant voucher Memphis Belle – Memphis Belle coffee house vouchers, and a month’s supply of coffee NZ Lotteries – Instant Kiwi tickets Saint Clair – Wine Richter City Roller Derby – A double pass to Out of Your League Victoria University Press – Books Yeastie Boys – Beer Zealandia –Nigh

It's All Baa But You'll Hear Something Else

(thanks for sharing Hadyn )

Welcome To The Roxy Cinema / Coco Lounge In Miramar

Not open yet (March 2011 is the goal) but we can visit the official website and signup to their newsletter: http://www.roxycinema.co.nz/ Yaaaaay ... They also have a bunch of "what it will probably look like" photos and a few during the renovation/re-building process. Here's one from their website:

Red Nose Day (Nov 19th) - You Make The Whole World Smile 2010

Of course I'm gonna post this - not only a great song (it takes a little time to get moving), good cause but hey, it's Anika! Cure Kids , in association with Paper Plus Group, is bringing back Red Nose Day -- bigger and better than ever before -- with the aim of raising $1 million to help fund research into life-threatening childhood illnesses affecting Kiwi kids. Cure Kids' goal is to reach every Kiwi in the land and create a sea of red come November 19th through the sale of red noses, badges, wristbands, car noses and Cadbury's Jaffas, all available from Paper Plus stores from Thursday October 28th . [Updated] Corrected date in title, thanks Mauricio

Wellington Love Letter [video]

I love the very first sound you hear ... wind :-)

Wellingtonista's 'Best of Wellington' Awards Are Calling For Nominations

The Wellingtonista's annual 'best of Wellington' awards are calling for nominations in the following categories: Best Cafe (Somewhere casual you’d go for a sit-down meal, not just coffee) Best Restaurant (Somewhere less casual, probably more expensive and would probably be licensed) Best Drink in Town (Best cocktail/beer/whatever, and where it is made) Best Late Night Experience (Where do you go after dinner? Do you go to dance or get into mischief?) Best Service (Which hospitality worker makes your every visit a pleasure?) Best Coffee (We’re talking a cup of coffee you buy somewhere, not the beans) Best Regular Entertainment (A wide category, something that happens more than once a year that you enjoy) Best Live Performance (What gigs blew your mind?) Best Event (What single experience was amazing?) Best Outdoors Experience (Where do you go when you don’t want to be indoors?) Best Suburban Destination (What’s a good reason to get out of the city?) Best Art Expe

Worser Bay School Fair 2010 In Colour

Enjoy ... we all did!

Great Summer Song/Video

The video, Huge Bike Jump into a Pond 35 feet in the air , is awesome but you can also download the song from Can't Stop Won't Stop , "Summer". Unfortunately they've decide to use Facebook to give you the song (that's where their link takes you), fucking stoopid!

Worser Bay School Fair - Early Bird Clothes Sale!

Early Bird Clothes Sale! Friday 5th November 2.30pm to 4pm in the New Entrants class room ( 128 Seatoun Heights Road, Miramar ). Get in quick before the mad rush on fair day! Please bring cash (Eftpos available just on Fair day) Plus don't forget... 2010 Worser Bay School fair is having a silent auction Bids can be made online http://www.worserbay.school.nz/silent-auction-2010 or at the fair. 39 lots in total and there is something for everyone: Tour of Park Road Post Production and lunch for four (Very Rare - few people get this privilege) Limited edition Weta Workshop model Phoenix Travel Shirt (polo) signed by the whole Phoenix squad Colin Meads poster signed by Colin Meads Football signed by Wynton Rufer Interislander tickets Restaurant vouchers Car servicing Ricoh Camera C x 1 10mpx Royal New Zealand Ballet Family Pass Gym memberships Plus lots, lots more! Please feel free to forward this to your office, friends and family. From Around The world to Worser Bay Sunday 7th Novem

Is This For Real? And How Much Would You Pay For The UK?

(I'm linking to my shared Buzz coz the original site seems to be struggling with the traffic) Righty-ho all your conspiracy lovers, wrap your madness around this one - Did somebody just try to buy the British government? (my link) via Charlie's Diary (original link) In a nutshell ... actually no, there is no way to pop this into a nutshell - go read it all! Thoughts from Miramar: Do Lords get to say things like this now-a-days, ", he came back and said, "You can get lost. I'm not touching this with a bargepole; it is far too difficult. Take it back to the Treasury". So I did." Can anyone actually link me to the entry in Hansard If not real then what's the point (publicity I s'pect) Note the original site is antipope.org ... !! I am done.

You Know You're Officially Old When ...

You walk into the room and wonder why You talk to the condiments You stomp around the house asking everyone where are your glasses only to discover their on your head You don't care if the neighbours can hear you You realise that your parents had a point or two The cartoons on TV are all shouty and weird People are actually looking up to you Your memories seem to be a movie of another time involving other people You talk about cassette tapes knowing no-one uses them but without realising a lot of people don't even know what they are Cheesy "feel good movies" are just what the doctor ordered You use phrases such as "just what the doctor ordered" You tell everyone that music isn't as good as it used to be - it's all retro, copying, been done before and derative Inspired by my wife who just exhibited one of these traits.

Reflections

Great series of photos on Novartis entitled "Reflections" ...

Well, Would You Try And Stop Them?

Click for, *ahem*, bigness

Visit The Miramar Halloween House With The Kids

It's certainly not Disneyland but it's a fun 30 minutes for kids of a young enough age! 39 Devonshire Avenue, Miramar View Larger Map Here's what we got to see in the setting sun a few days ago:

The Hobbit Rally In Wellington

Unfortunately I couldn't make it to Civic Square earlier today (flying to Christchurch and all that) but here's two excellent posts for you to see who could and to find out what happened: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2010/10/the_hobbit_rallies.html http://nznoldor.blogspot.com/2010/10/pro-hobbit-rally-in-wellington.html And I love that Jack from the the Noldor Blog has captured David the author of the Kiwiblog post :-)

Picture Books Every Household Should Have

Drafts, the scourge of all writers - the scraps, that great ideas that faded away ... well, this post was exactly one of those. And now that the kids are growing out of picture books I think it deserves to see the light. Also this is a blog post (originally dated 17th Aug 2008) that would probably be a tweet or a Facebook status update ... it's just a link to a great posting from the National Library, So What’s Your Choice Picture Book? Picture books rock, introduce books/ reading to kids and, despite the lack of response to their post (or do comments fade away over time, I hope not), it's still a great question - what's the best picture book? My vote would go to one of the following: The Gruffalo Mo Wilem's pigeon books Anything by Nick Butterworth (I love his style of illustration) So, what's yours? Oh, and check out the awesome Thirteen ways to raise a nonreader as seen at the Kilbirnie Children's Bookstore But none of these would be on the list ;-)

Worser Bay School Fair - Sunday 7th Nov, 11am-2pm

From Around The world to Worser Bay Sunday 7th November, 11am-2pm Facebook event 128 Seatoun Heights Road, Miramar Everything you expect, want and get glee from - tombola, cake stands, beer (oh yes), live music, competitions and as much awesome pre-loved goods as you can find. AND - the silent auction is already on, http://www.worserbay.school.nz/silent-auction-2010 , with awesome items such as: Tour of Park Road Post Production and lunch for four - priceless! The Ambeli Restaurant $200.00 voucher and a bottle of wine Royal New Zealand Ballet Family Pass (4 tickets available) to Tutu’s on Tour (27/2/2011 at 2.30pm). Value $125.00 and Scorch-o-Rama Café Vouchers for $50.00. Total Value $175.00 A Cricket Lovers Pack - One hour coaching session with a prominent Wellington Firebird plus two tickets to every Firebirds home 20/20 game. Value $250.00 Interislander, Two Adults, Three Children and one vehicle, return crossing. BBQ Bonanza. Stainless Steel BBQ set with case, BBQ light set, small

The Hobbit - I'll Write No More Until Production Is Well Underway In NZ

Best write up: http://publicaddress.net/default,6916,anatomy-of-a-shambles.sm Best line (Jeremy Eade): Bloody Actors. How do we know this isn't just an act.It might be a workshop. [ source ] Best suggested video [ source ]

Anika Moa On Tour

I would love to but just so darned busy so go and say hi from me on Saturday December 4th at The Ruby Lounge (14 Bond Street, Wellington - map ): Tickets on sale Event Finder and Real Groovy . Remaining on the door. Book for dinner to secure great seats for the show by emailing bookings@therubylounge.co.nz , limited dinner bookings available. Tickets for most NZ shows are available at Eventfinder.co.nz or head to Anikamoa.com for more details.

The Hobbit May NOT Be Filmed In NZ

[Updated] Listen to the Fran Walsh / Philippa Boyens / Helen Kelly interviews from @NineToNoon --------------- Well, I don't actually know but the rhetoric is flying high and Fran Walsh / Phillipa Boyens (producers, writers) are about to talk on National Radio. A statement from Peter Jackson last night: Next week Warner Brothers are coming down to New Zealand to make arrangements to move the production off-shore. Check out the latest news: http://twitter.com/#search?q=hobbit Richard Taylor (Lord Miramar ;) said this morning that he's "clinging on to hope" ... I have to say that there is a lot of hot air coming from both sides and it's not a "done deal that NZ won't get the Hobbit" - likely but not definitely [updated post title to reflect this] I will be placing the sole of my boot to the arse of the Auckland actors that may have fucked up NZ's chances. And their statements have not helped really. AND, this isn't a film project starting w

2 New Air NZ Adverts - HA HA HA HA

Kiwi to the max and funny as fuck!

Day 30 - Your favorite song.

One of these , these , these , these or this , this or this. As should be plainly obvious to you ... hmm, actually, maybe not ... I LOVE MUSIC ! But I also love a giggle so gonna leave you with one of my top silly music vids. I challenge you not to have an earworm ... enjoy

Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned

I have learned loads. I really mean it LOADS! So much learning that I've had to make room in the headbox by dumping some stuff ... home address, number of wives and what I am doing writing this. People who write blogs are generally outward looking people Blogging should involve at least one link to something, most #30DaysOfMe #FAILed If your RSS feed isn't the whole post, I won't read it I have now unsubscribed from 99.9% of the #30DaysOfMe blogs Some people (JH) should write more, much much more Most #30DaysofMe blogs that I read were well written and a pleasure Sharing rocks Keeping some things off-line is probably a good idea Writing should come from the heart and not be forced. I love writing And bonus: I love dressing up ... that's not new, but it might be for you :-)

The Latest On The Miramar Cinema Build - Grand Opening March 2011

Stuff (local newspaper) has a good article about The Miramar Cinema - Glimpse behind the scenes at Miramar movie palace. The salient facts are: Jamie Selkirk and Tania Rodger kicked the $7 million project into gear more than a year ago They have teamed up with Weta Digital 's Tim Alexander, Penthouse cinema co-owner Ian MacLeod, Cafe Polo co-owner Valentina Dias and bar owner Jonny McKenzie to create an opulent, 1930s-style cinema Many of the interior fittings, including columns and artworks, are being made by Weta Workshop The construction will cost about $5 million and fitting out the theatre in 1930s-style furnishings will cost another $2m The new theatre will have a restaurant, cocktail lounge and bar area seating 140 people The building will house two cinemas, one with 164 seats and the other with 55 . Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, sourced by the Penthouse Cinema, There are plans to hold a 1930s-themed street parade in Miramar to celebrate the theatre's

Stats That Make Me Go Hmmmm

Been a while since I did a 'aren't you readers just the craziest of kids' post ... So here we go using the latest Blogger stats feature . Note, this has only been collecting data from May 2010 so it's not really indicative of everything. If I had the time I'd check with my Google Analytics which has been running since 2006 ... biut this isn't a report for the board but a "Hee hee, who would've thought that" post. Where do you come from? The top 5 make up the vast majority of you guys and yet I am surprised just how many more of you are from the United States and not NZ (where I am) or UK (where the family is). In order of living within this country' preference: United States New Zealand United Kingdom Australia Canada Peru India Italy Germany Russia What else makes me think about stuff, oh ... What computer stuff are you using? Web browsers you're using ... probably: Internet Explorer (53%) Firefox (19%) Chrome (11%) Safari (7%) Java (5%)

Day 28 - A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Last year Latest I have changed my underwear.

Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

Shits and giggles. Dumb fucking question. Hung over.

Day 26 - What you think about your friends

Right you glorious fluffy bunch of friends, here's where I really dish the love! I think my friends are awesome. To be honest though I don't actually see enough of my NZ friends ... booooo :( Maybe it's transition ... maybe it's poverty ... maybe it's laziness (on my part). BUT, something has to change because I think they are all awesome. They are true friends, there when times get tough, there to share the laffs and there when it's just good to talk and hang out. Hmmm ... And there's definitely a "circle" of friends. There's the old OLD friends I've had since I was a new immigrant. The ones I met during the Australian years. And the ones I am meeting new now ... Some friends I seem to have known for many lifetimes and can't quite imagine them not being around. I count them on one hand. They are drawn from the the old, new and in between circles. Friends are my lifeblood actually. And I genuinely miss not being with them quite as much

Day 25 - What I would find in your bag

Ah ... this is the one that's gonna screw me up as this is obviously aimed at those that carry hand/manbags around and well, I don't. I don't even have a wallet. Nope, it all gets stuffed into my pockets and I am done. I do have a 2009 black Webstock bag that I transport the laptop around in but it got cleaned out recently and so all it now has within is a laptop and some business cards. And fluff. What to do, what to do ... um, er, how about this, I'll list the things I think are in Liz's handbag ... no, probably not a wise move eh. Let's call this a #FAIL However, you should go and see Day 25 #WIN at Kat's blog

I'm In Great Company - I Mean, Barack Obama!

Had a connection to confirm on my LinkedIn profile and my eyes scanned down the to "Viewers of this profile also viewed..." (I'm nosey!) and it seems I am leading all sorts of people to some very cool connections, I mean Barack Obama?!

Day 24 - A letter to your parents

Dear Mum and Dad (or should that be Betty and Derek :-), I love you with all my heart. Mike, xoxoxox

Day 23 - Something you crave for a lot

I crave, crrrraaaaaaave I tell you, a lot, heaps, oodles of - actually, before I tell you all my inner deepest darkest secret let me ask you a quick question (in the understanding that I know you can't actually answer me as it's late and I'm at my home and if you're actually here to answer me I will shit in my pants) Unless you're Liz. The one question about is ... what is a craving? Is it when you wake up in the morning and can only think of that first glass of water to clear the goobies from the mouth and unclog the bottie? Or is it the shakes, sweats and house robbery that comes from not enough smack ... or something equally down and street. Either way, when do you know when you've got a crave on? And when do you know it's merely a passing fad that will be satiated or that it's an obsession that requires constant feeding otherwise it'll eat you and all around you? So, what do I "crave a lot"? Justice.

If You Do This In An Email ... I Hate You!

Oooohhh yeah ... and this is just one of many examples of wanky use of email from The Oatmeal

It's Not Easy To Take A Stand Which Is Why I Admire Ben's Action

Being away on a wee family holiday has meant I've missed the furore around Paul Henry's dickhead comments on the TVNZ breakfast show this morning - the tweets alerted me that something had gone down though! The chattering classes on Facebook and Twitter can rant and rave as much as they like though as it's really just the latest version of talkback radio ... and I suspect Paul Henry knows that. I count myself, in this case, as a fully paid up member of the chattering classes ... hence this blog post. Ben Gracewood is also a member of the chattering classes. However he also had a pretty nifty spot on the same TVNZ breakfast show as Paul Henry showing off the latest tech geekery - here he describes what it meant to him: It’s something I’ve loved doing more than you can imagine, both in terms of personal promotion, and the steady stream of incredibly cool technology I play with. Not any more - he sent a letter to TVNZ resigning ! Awesome Ben and I am full of admiration of ho

Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else

I was gonna use the "We're all individuals ..." line from Python but I see @smrtgirl has beaten me to that Hmm, it's a great question. Bloody difficult to answer though. In fact I can't say there's one thing that makes me different to everyone else as everything I do, think, say has been done, thought and said by someone else at some time. However, I do think the package is quite unique and that I do, think and say things in an order and with a particular style that no-one ever has. So that's it - it's the bringing me to this point in this way that makes me different to everyone else. After all that, Gloria, take it away ... Oh, and I'm immortal.

Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy

A photo of Christmas in Sweden

Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

Despite being married twice I do believe that I am on my last marriage this time around ... in a good way, that it'll end by the death of one of us ... in a natural way, not by the knife she keeps under her pillow. So I can't see me marrying anyone else. Even if she gets put away for a long time due to attempted murder and the marriage is annulled. I mean really, who wants to stay married to someone that's just tried to stamp them in the middle of a dream about Star Wars. But "being with" someone else ... if I manage to get to the gun before she gets to the knife and it's not all "click, click" because I've forgotten to put bullets in but it's all "BANG! BANG!" then who knows. Probably. Yeah, I'll need someone in my life. I'll need a nanny. I'll need a chauffeur. A cook. Two cooks (one could focus on creating the perfect breakfast). And someone with small nimble fingers that would reach all the nooks and crannies without

Day 19 - Nicknames you have; why do you have them

Unlike some I am only aware of one actual nickname (not including all of the sweet nothings that the crowds of millions have whispered into my delicate ears over the eons). Billy. That's it, Billy. My nickname was Billy. In fact, many at college (that's the place I went after school from ages 19-22, just so the Kiwi's understand), didn't realise that my real name was Mike and I once got asked, "Who's this Mike guy we've got to work with this term?" And why - 2 reasons that collided at exactly the same time the name was given to me. Oh, hang on, just thought of another short lived nickname I had at the time, Ostrich. Reason #1: Fast running I was, in my youth a fairly fast mover across the land. This land was the Welsh land that enjoys the weekly comic, The Beano. In this comic there is a long standing character called Billy Whizz. Voila! Reason #2: A fox My original surname was Boyle (you all know about the change ). In the UK during my growing up time

Day 18 - Plans/dreams/goals you have

You know what, I can't be arsed outlining it all so take it for read that it includes health, wealth and happiness. A healthy amount of sexual deviancy. A wealth derived from exploitation. And happiness at the failings of others. Possible a little from all and mixed up with a smattering of humour. Oh. I do have a dream that IT departments take their heads out of their collective arses and start behaving like the service provider they claim to be and not the wizards they think they are.

Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

Hmm, tricky one this ... being anyone else would be quite amazing. Do I get to remember my 24 hours as someone else, am I like a passenger inside someone else's head a la  Being John Malkovich ... am I reading far too much into this. Let's trawl the #30DaysOfMe posters that have posted their choices and see what others have done: Pebblesey - "male" Amie McCarron - "astronaut" In Real Time - "Dorothy Parker" smrtgrl - "stay me" Honorary Kiwi - "cat" Josie Campbell - "Michael Parkinson" By the way, the first in the list is the originator of this whole #30DaysOfMe malarkey Hmm, a wide choice just from that sample. I know, I know ... I want to be Clint Eastwood and then I could stop asking that question .