I am so cool - official!

As I am 'billy no mates' down my local hostelry, not cause I am a social outcast but because I prefer to drink alone and read the daily rags! One can, you know!

Article in the Mail caught my eye...

Apparently to be cool you have to like/buy/do the following...

• Fruit Smoothies (make my own)
• Muffins (I am a sucker for the blueberry and the double chocolate chip in Starbucks/Costa/Nero)
• Classic albums ('Born to Run', 'Crime of the Century' are my listening pleasure in the car)
• Memory sticks (I have one, my kids don't but I do! Should they be called flash drives instead)
• 20 bottle crates of lager (....yup....hic.....double hic....got to get another crate... am as missed as a pewt !...)
• Peppers (red or green or yellow in your spaghetti bolignaise kids?)
• Small oranges (tangerines...yummy!!!)

As I do all of the above, I officially claim the title of the coolest 48 year old dad in the whole wide world!

Heather Mills Part 2

For those interested, you may like to read some of what the papers say...

Time Magazine

Daily Telegraph

Daily Telegraph again

New Musical Express

People

and of course The Sun

All say the same thing....Paul was consistent and believable in the court and Heather wasn't....

Heather Mills

If you had worked for four years and got £24.3 million which consisted of a lump sum of £16.5 million plus £7.8 million in assets, I think that you could judge that your life was successful. That is just over £8 million per year and a better rate than all professional footballers.

Heather Mills (now ex-wife of Sir Paul McCartney) does not agree with this. As well as the above, she gets £35k per year for their daughter plus a nanny (paid for by Sir Paul) and security (paid for again by Sir Paul)

Yet she moans and complains on the steps of the court that, because of the amount that she got for settlement is so 'low', their daughter will have to fly Economy Class 'whilst her father can go first class'. She also states that Sir Paul's riches were closer to the £800 million than the £400 million that was stated in court.

By going on about the cash, she even puts proper 'gold diggers' to shame! She even is thinking of contesting the settlement.

Can I be the first to say that I don't think she has a leg to stand on?

MP's Expenses

Two stories caught my eye today.

This one about the John Lewis list where MP's can claim back expenses such as new kitchens (@£10k) and £795 for a sideboard! That is on top of their large salaries. Apparently prices are suggested from the 'John Lewis' list as that department store is best for cost and quality. Also this list for MP's is not made public for MP's 'in case of abuse'!

John Lewis stores are reporting that sales are down this week in their department stores because of television sport! Could it be that MP's have decided to spend their expenses elsewhere?

John Lewis stores also report that they 'faced "very challenging" trading for the rest of this year and possibly into next year as the economic downturn took its toll'.

And who is to blame for the economic downturn? MP's not managing the economy?

Bank Statements

Last Tuesday we had the 'Budget' here in the UK. Alastair Darling on the news altering this tax and that tax for something or other. More tax on booze, fags and fuel which the British person kind of expects nowadays. Punish the drinker, the smoker and the driver becasue they are the easy targets. And welcomed by the tea-totaller, the non-smoker and the ikes of John 'two jags' Prescott.

Every month I get a bank statement. I monitor my finances very carefully and ensure that I never go overdrawn. A credit to me and my bank gets frustrated that they can not charge me exorbitant charges.

My question here is, as I pay taxes and pay into the British economy, why cant I see the statement that states the financial position that the country is in? Surely the taxes that I pay (both direct and indirect) mean that this countries bank statement is needed to be shown to all of us?

I am writing this as I watch 'Question Time' on the BBC. The politicians and guests on there are arguing money facts and policy. No mention of the actual balance of the country at all. Simply the guys are stating election speeches so that they remain in 'power'.

This is the same 'power' that allows MP's to claim huge expenses including the right to claim £10,000 for a new kitchen!

Am I wrong to think that there is something wrong here?

An Intimate Affair

Sorry it has been a longer time than I would have liked to write.

My job involves me travelling the country and visiting strange places.

Recently, I went to a venue and needed the loo. Found the empty cubicle and proceeded to do the business so to speak. Got up to use the loo roll on the appropriate place and found that the smallness of the room prohibited effective cleansing of the orifice.

A thought flicked through the brain cell. Was this particular room (with the ceramic bowl) designed by a woman?

As revenge?

New phone.

Got a new phone a few days ago from my work. The device is a camera, music player, text message server, television and I can also view the interweb. I haven't got to the end of the manual yet so there make be more tricks the device can do. Who knows?

BTW, I can also make a call and talk to real people if I am not occupied with listening to music, watching television or taking pictures and may I use this forum to apologise to all that may call me whilst I am doing any of the above.

Sorry folks but your call may not be as important as me catching up with the latest from EastEnders/Hollyoaks/BBC news.

Incidentally the manual weighs 202 grams

The phone weighs 132 grams.

Am I missing something here?