October means jack the prices up!

I was out and about yesterday - as were most people - and my favourite coffee shack, Caffe Nero, decided to use October to jack their prices up. This was at first quite jarring, even though it amounts to only 10p per cup of their hot brown loving.

They've had the lowest prices on the high street for some time and any increase was seen as an affront to this secret pact we had - I'd patronise them and they'd stay relatively low priced. Of coures, I felt betrayed, but soldiered on.

At lunch time, I mosied to Tesco to get a sarnie and a ludicrously low-priced bottle of Pepsi Max (41p). True to form, Tesco had decided to use October to jack their Pepsi Max price up to 45p.

Now I realise to combined outlay of these two products amounts to roughly 14p, but I find it quite interesting that both items have been low priced for ages and then - in some sort of odd synergistic twist - are both increased in price on the same day.

I think the cosmos is slowly conspiring against me.

Pi$$ed off

Ok, this morning bleary eyed and so tired, I decided to try an alternate route into work.

Normally, it takes just under an hour to get to work, with a couple of changes here and there going through Clapham Junction, the busiest and crappiest train station in Britain.

Today, I decided to venture to Sutton as I heard tell of a fast train to Victoria that stops only at Clapham Jct. Normally, this destination would take me 30 mins from Wallington.

When I got to Sutton there was a 20 minute wait for the next train of ANY description heading to Victoria via Clapham. Not a good start.

Then I spotted a train to Wimbledon. I figured I could make it there and then take the tube. The tube's always quick isn't it, and besides I could take Clapham Jct and it's annoyances out of the equation.

Got to Wimbledon and changed to train #3 of the morning, heading to Earl's Court where I changed to train #4, just over 45 after having left Sutton and a full 75 minutes since leaving Wallington.

The whole journey from Earl to Baron's Court was spent fuming at how I had left for work hours early and was arrived almost on time.

I'm sure there are people out there who commute hours each way every day, but that's their choice not mine.

I tried an experiment and it failed. Miserably.

FreeHealthy guide to being ripped to the tits at concerts

There a sect of people out there who believe you can't enjoy a concert without being higher than the ceiling. Of course, with tickets to MAJOR events costing upwards of a week's rent, wouldn't it be better to actually make the most of the event and have lovely lasting memories?

Anyway, here's my cheap, healthy guide to being ripped to the tits at a concert:

1. Don't go to the concert
2. Don't do drugs
3. When a mate asks how the concert was, scratch head and reply "I didn't go."

There you go. Saved yourself some braincells and a whole wodge of cash and had exactly the same experience... except your clothes don't reek of ciggies.

Another plus!

Three's Company

They say bad things always happen in threes and this week is no different. Three of Hollywood's beloved actors of a simpler age have all found their demise within a few days of each other.

First to go was Three's Company's Mr. Furley, Don Knotts. Many would argue they thought he'd been dead for a long time already, but surprise appearances in films like Pleasantville put paid to those rumours. Of course, they're rumours no more.

Second to go is Darren McGavin. Probably most famous for Kolchak: The Nightstalker, which many view as the precursor to "The X-Files", there's a whole generation that will know him as "Nottafinger", the dad from "A Christmas Story," one of Canada's best loved homegrown films, as well as Billy's dad in "Billy Madison".

Today, there's news that Dennis Weaver has hit the bucket. He starred in one of Steven Spielberg's first big screen outings, "Duet" as well as the detective series "McCloud".

All of these guys had been receiving a pension for years and years, so it's not that much of a surprise that they've finally met their end, but as actors I grew up watching, it's a bit of a sad news day.

Sarnie YEAH!

Having spent my formative years in the backwater that is Sarnia, ON, it's always with an incredulous grin that I greet the mention of the town in popular culture.

A couple of years ago I was in a small cinema in London's West End watching Michael Moore's "Bowling For Columbine" when the scenes in Point Edward and Sarnia came on. I was punching my fists in the air and grinning like a Cheshire cat and no one around me knew why.

A similar feeling came over me last night when I was watching the Paul Gross / Leslie Nielsen comedy "Men With Brooms". It concerns an underdog curling team trying to win the big game for their deceased coach. One of the teams they have to crawl over to get there? Sarnia! Hey hey!

For such a nothing town, there's always a load of odd references to it and that keeps me just a little more connected with my childhood.

Why do I get out of bed?

Some days are just hideously crap you wonder why you woke up.

Today, I got to my local train station to find the London bound platform was closed due to vandalism. Great. Petty little thugs with nothing better to do than hang around train stations pulling up tiles means a whole stream of disgruntled commuters.

As I was on the train to Sutton thinking that London life and me were about to part ways, I read in the Metro (always a bad thing in the mornings!) about more and more misery (drug dealing in a pub frequented by Prince William, savage army beatings in Iraq, etc.)

Argh.

Just when all hope seemed to fade and the thoughts of staying in the UK seemed unbearable, I read about some horrible new gang in the States that has over 100,000 members, mainly from Ecuador and such. They're brutal, worse than the Mafia and moving more into profiteering.

Maybe the UK isn't that bad after all?

Mint is evil!

Everytime I eat mint, I sneeze. Whether it be gum, lozenge style hard candy or what have you, I sneeze. Yet, even though this happens I am drawn to the luxuries of mint like a moth to a flame.

Add to that the fact that mass consumption of most mints sweets - gum, lozenge, etc. - results in a laxative effect, and I'm a sneezing shitting machine.

Is there any help? No! I'm addicted!