Spare Time

Just over three weeks left for the Eurovision trip to Helsinki. Of course, a good holiday needs good planning, which is why I have a couple of things lined up for whilst I'm out there. Being a bit sunnier than the last time I was there, I'll be doing a little geocaching around the city.

Hopefully I'll be able to get another reindeer steak whilst I'm there. The cheesy tractor restaurant Zetor could be on the menu.

I have holiday cash, the hotel and air tickets are paid for and so is my entrance to the contest. How exited am I??? BUBBLING!

Well, the end of February draws closer and it's been a goodun. I had a lovely weekend with Anne and Matt coming down from the Wirall, a couple of nice meals, and it was great to see the Wildcats thrash the Romford Raiders 5-4 after such a poor start.

I've just reinstalled Windows on my PC following some pretty sluggish performance, and we're now speedy again.

March is on the way, and may it bring another enjoyable month. It also meands that May is closer, and of course my long-awaited jaunt to Helsinki and Eurovision. Look out Finland, here I come (again!).

I've taken today and tomorrow off, and if today's anything to go by, heaven knows what tomorrow will bring.

The main thrust of today was to get my car through the MOT, which for readers outside of the UK is an annual roadworthiness test, without which you cannot obtain road tax or insurance. The car passed first time, but came with a list of 'advisories' which mean that you need to start looking at these things before they become problems. There's a problem with the front brake pads, a link arm, a tyre and a couple of minor things. Also, the cam belt will need changing soon.

While I was carless (or careless depending on your outlook), I did all those little things that you don't get to do when you're at work. A trip to the bank, a little shopping, a chat with the council, and I joined the local library. Hell, it's something I've been meaning to do since I moved to Swindon in January 2000... six years and eight months later, I finally managed to do it :)

In other news, I was disappointed to see that Quidco have received notification from Equitalk that they're not going to pay me my £14 cashback. I've lodged queries against this bearing in mind that I am using the service and generating them some income. On the other hand, I have received trickles of cashback from The Hut which is pleasing. Let's hope that Unibet come up trumps with their £50.... I really hope they do.

I saw the trailer for Stormbreaker a couple of months back, and I noted it in my diary as one to watch. I'm not entirely sure what attracted me to the film, but the thought of a fourteen year-old James Bond type character looked so contrived I had to see it to find out whether the format could really work.

Oddly enough, I found myself quite surprised by the finished product. Alex Pettyfer, who plays the main character, Alex Rider, pulls the role off very well. Whilst there are some aspects to the scripts which are indeed bordering tacky - "He's not a child, he's a lethal weapon" being one to note.

The storyline is simple, yet effective. An orphaned child is brough up by his uncle who spends a lot of time away from home because he works for a bank and has to go to lots of meetings. The uncle is in fact an MI6 agent, gets killed in action, and child thinks that there's something strange about the death. Child investigates, reveals truth, and is (under duress) recruited by MI6 to infiltrate villain's lair and stops sneaky plot to destroy the country.

Upon further investigation, the film is an offshoot from a series of books written by Anthony Horowitz, so I purchased the Stormbreaker book, and I'm pleased to report that whilst there's some artistic licence in the film combined with a little deviation from the story, it remains about 80% true to the book. In true sequel style, I've also purchased "Point Blanc" and "Skeleton Key" for further research.

If you have a cold and wet afternoon to spare, go take a look at this one. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

I decided to take Friday off work. I've been feeling a little tired lately, so I thought that now would be a good time to use some of my remaining leave before October, when it 'expires'.

So what does one do on a random day off? First off I headed into town where I dropped my work trousers into the dry cleaners. Then I headed back to my former employer's to meet up with an old friend where we just had a nice chat, and then I drove over to the Cineworld in Greenbridge where I managed to get a matinee seat for the new Stoembreaker movie.

I must admit that I was sceptical of this movie. The format of a kiddie James Bond, a relatively unknown 16 year old actor and a writer's first novel-to-screenplay had all the hallmarks of a flow. HOWEVER I was pleasantly surprised. Alex Pettyfer who plays Alex Rider managed to pull off a young public schoolboy spy very well. Also the stunts and action shots were very well choreographed with Pettyfer actually performing many of the stunts himself.

It's not going to be everyone's film of the month, but if you want a bit of tongue in cheek humour, combined with a bit of action and cameos from Stephen Fry, Robbie Coltrane Ewan McGregor and others, go take a look.

I went to see the wonderful Kate Rusby last night at the Wyvern Theatre. Kate was brought to my attention on the Jools Holland Hootenanny this year, and when I found out that she would be touring down to Swindon, I was first to put my name down for a ticket.

Believe me, I was not disappointed. Folk music isn't everyone's cup of tea, so if you don't like slow tunes with a couple of guitars, a double bass and an accordian, this may not be your thing, but I really enjoyed it. With the fantastic John McCusker's music, playing a variety of instruments, and Kate's truly moving voice, this show was worth the whole £18.

Even more entertaining was Kate's sense of humour. A Barnsley lass by heart, her quick sense of humour and quick wit kept us entertained between songs. Sheer talent.

Well, I did decide to go and see United 93 at the cinema, and I have to say that I was impressed. The film approached the subject with delicacy and really captured the feelings of both the hostages on the plane and the hijackers throughout. The hijackers were on a suicide mission so nothing really mattered to them, and the passengers worked out that it was a suicide mission, so they decided to die trying - even though the pilot and co-pilot were dead.

This was a film that brought me to to tears, and yes, it may be too soon, but it does put closure on that particular aspect of 9/11 and gives a little understanding into the brainwashing the hijackers must have gone through.

I'm thinking of going to see United 93 at the cinema this weekend, and I mentioned this at work. It seems that a number of people seem to be against this film, because they think it's too soon after the real event. How soon is too soon? Would it be the same in 10 years time? Or does this put closure on a horrific event? I think I'm going to see it anyway, on the basis that I want to understand more about what happened.

Negotiations furiously continue with various hotels for a stay during the Helsinki Eurovision Song Contest. Which hotel will be awarded with douze points, and which will be sent with a slap across the face nil points. Keep a look out, and see where the Hazzanet lot will be staying for an awfully euro-popped holiday.

Finland's "Lordi", a monster-rock band gave a monsterous performance at the Olympic Arena last night, playing to the audience all over Europe. Many countries awarded their douze points to Finland, leaving Lordi walking away with the title of a Song For Europe 2006.

This means that 1) I collected £14 from Ladbrokes and 2) the contest will be in Helsinki next year... YAY!