Spring breaks So it was the Duopoly meet-up on Saturday. It's an on-line community I'm a member of for those not in the know. Met some new people and saw some familiar faces. Lunch was in some classy little number near Covent Garden, specialising in Pizzas. The name escapes me for now. Fire and Stone or something? I had a 'Peking' which was basically shredded roast duck, hoi sin sauce, spring onions and cucumber. It's one of my favourite Chinese dishes so I had to give it a go, and it lived up to it's expectations. Next port of call was the classy Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. Museums aren't normally my cup of tea I have to be honest, but I liked the 'Medieval' display. Some amazing artefacts in there. We wondered how on Earth they got these massive pillars in there from Rome I think. Very spectacular. From there the day trippers including me hung around Soho getting tanked whilst the travellers went back to their hotels for a freshen up ready for the evening. A private room had been booked for the bash, which was to celebrate 5 years of the forum and a buffet and Birthday cake was laid on as well as party games which was all very hilarious after several more drinks! I even won a prize! lol
Sunday was quality because although I didn't get to watch the game with my French colleague, we beat the French and interrupted their grand slam chances at the 6 Nations! Excellent game. Looks unlikely we can win the title now but it's still in with a shot. I'm expecting a heavy score against the Welsh this Saturday! :p
Last night I went with my French colleague Ludovic to The Halfmoon in Putney to see my supervisor from work play in an acoustic evening. He plays guitar with a female vocalist, and although they went on second and the atmosphere hadn't built yet, it was still a top performance. I haven't seen him play before but I hope to do so more in the future. They hung around for a couple more acts but had to get off, but me and Ludo stayed for a few more after that. Acoustic isn't always my cup of tea but it was a very nice venue with some great artists, all doing 3 songs each. Never been to Putney either before but it was very enchanting. School night drinking is never good though. It was the worst I've ever been! :op
Long time no journal Well it's been decades since I last updated this thing so here goes.
Nothing too exciting. Spent a day in the garden yesterday pruning and tidying up and planting grass seed on the baron lawn that awaited us when we moved in. We're having a little light rain at the moment so that will help get it going. Just hope the birds don't eat it all. I also got to use my Granddad's shredder yesterday which I borrowed last weekend when I went back home. It was excellent. Very macho! I went mad with it. Also our neighbour was out with his Dad trimming back an Elder tree which is growing out the back of our houses on the shared access way. It was quite a nice little bonding session, making polite conversation as we were hacking away at the greenery. I also let him borrow the shredder so they could shred down some of the smaller stuff. Then his old man loaded up his Sierra with branches and tootled off to the dump.
Relatively quiet night in last night, watching Harry Hill's TV Burp (hilarity) and an old showing of a Most Haunted Live. Which annoyed me. I don't know if it was the way they edited it but it was just annoying. Very little analysis or questions being asked from Yvette who, even more than usual, was going mental at the slightest sound. Then there was the Lunar Eclipse which we had a perfect view of here in London. Some Carling, some pink wine, some music and some Internet also made up the night.
Busy weeks ahead. A 'date' Tuesday, an Internet meet-up next Saturday and then gigs for the following 3 weekends back home. Then there's Easter, my car's MOT (I always love that one, as anyone with a 10 year old car can understand) and then I'm off with some of the others to the port of Amsterdam. What fun!
First post in the new house Been here a month now, we're getting there, although the temperature of the shower is temperamental and the neighbours are noisey. It's nice being close to shops and a train station. Work's hectic at the moment - working on a system study for a potential new job. Been putting in overtime this week trying to get all the testing done. Got to drive the demonstrator vehicle as well yesterday afternoon as my boss wanted me to assess it's driveability (which was my old job at Ford). It needs some work but it can be done.
Going out for Martin's Birthday tonight and hoping to catch up with my sister and Neil who are in town too, ironically staying in Docklands not 5 minutes away from the old flat - would have been handy to see them had we still been there.
See you when I see you Well tomorrow me and Will move in to our new pad in New Eltham. Needless to say we shall be without the interweb for an unknown period of time, so I'll see you when I see you!
I'm absolutely stunned by the news. I knew he was ill but I think I thought him being so young and receiving treatment that he would be OK. Its always sobering when someone 'famous' dies but especially so such a young and talented man. He leaves a wife and young cild, who must be absolutely devastated.
Moving on Well me and Will finally found somewhere at the 11th hour. References permitting. We found a 3 bed house in New Eltham, nice and handy for the train and also bus routes to Bromley. Hopefully if all goes well we can pick the keys up on the 14th and begin moving our stuff.
Work's pretty stressful at the moment. I've got a presentation to give tomorrow which is a follow up from the course I did at Loughborough the week before last. I really haven't been able to find the time it has deserved and my 'partner' for it has also found it hard to find time. Plus his style isn't quite the same as mine and its been quite difficult to pull together as a team. Still, hopefully I can get tomorrow out of the way without any major mishaps.
Also at work I am involved in a demonstrator for Ford - a new Transit we are bidding for. We are replacing an existing Transit Fuel Injection System with ours and attempting to make it drive well and be emissions compliant etc to sell our stuff to them. My main involvement is on the test rigs demonstrating our systems' capability, injection pressures, multiple injections, injector needle opening/closing delay and rate of injection characteristics etc. Then when we've done all our tests at Gillingham we'll be handing over the kit to Ford and I will help them get it up and running for their own work. Which I have found out is going to be at Aachen in Germany and not at Dunton in Essex which is where I used to work. Still, it'll be nice to go on a trip again. I'm having a meeting in the morning with my bosses to find out what's expected.
Hanging in the balance Still haven't secured a place to live yet but still, I've got the boys coming down this weekend so it will be trés good to see them and get a bit drunk and forget about things for a while. Got another viewing on Tuesday for a 2 bed house, sounds ideal, just got to see it first. Another 2 possibilities as well.
Aud Deutsch Oh MY God - I've found the most excellent feature on Google where you ca translate text very easily. So, in keeping with my German persona I have translated my last LJ post into the mother-tongue (or should that be father-tongue! ;o))
Enjoy!
Letzte Woche war ich an der Loughborough Universität für einen Kurs auf Innenverbrennungsmaschinen. Erhalten zurück zu London am Freitag um 7 Uhr nach einem Antrieb 4hr. Kürzung I über Melton und Oakham durch zum A1, zum des M1 also es zu vermissen war durchaus ein netter Weg, obgleich sie unten herummachte! Der Kurs war hübsches gutes, obgleich ziemlich intensiv. Von Meiste, das ich auf meinem bedeckte Grad, aber das war ein Paar Jahren vor jetzt so sein immer gutes, eine Erfrischung zu essen. Wir hatten auch 2 glättende Bibliotheklernabschnitte von 7-9:30pm, die nicht bestes populäres waren. Es gab 6 von uns von Delphi und einen anderen von 10 von Perkins in Peterborough. Ein von dem ich geschlagen für das andere seitliche sicheres bin (und war Spitzeoberseite übrigens!!) aber, da üblich ich zu anal war, alles über es zu tun also, schätze ich, daß ich nie weiß! lol
Gestern ich und Wille gingen, ein Paar der Häuser, eins im Waldung-Park und eins in neuem Eltham anzusehen. Das erste war eine shitty Spitze und die zwei Transportwagenvögel, das uns um in ihrem geschlagen herauf Polo fahren (nicht tragende seatbelts!) brachte kein Vertrauen in mich an. Ich könnte hervorquellen mich vorstelle sie heraus auf den Bieren gestern Abend, „ihre norks für die jungen Männer heraus zu erhalten“. Damit ließen wir die schwarzen trouser Klagen und die Fälschung Säurenummer des Waldung-Parks, den wir herum neues Eltham und irgendwo Cray eine Spitze bis unsere folgende Betrachtung bei 5:30 P.M. hingen. Der reizende Anita (traurig nicht Anita Dobson) traf uns. Das Haus, das wir ansahen, war und nah an neuer Eltham Station ziemlich nett (und ein Korb und eine Publikation benannte den Bienenstock - wie Sein rückseitiges Haus!!) aber die Größe des Ortes und der Qualität des décor war nicht in der Welt das beste. Ich schätze war gerecht, sie finden ein wenig eine Wirklichkeit überprüfung, nachdem ich in solch einem nettem Platz in den Docklands gelebt habe. Aber der vollständige Punkt von diesem ist, Geld zu versuchen und zu sparen. Die ungerade Sache war außerdem, daß die Leute noch dort lebten, und abgesehen von Sein unbeholfen, wenn wir ihm mich nehmen, wissen, daß ich herauf das Schlafen im Bett eines kleinen Mädchens oder des grossen schwarzen momma fertigwerden werde! Es hatte einen reizenden vorderen Raum zwar und ein reizender Garten und ein gelber Rosenbusch im vorderen Garten!
Entscheidung Entscheidungen. Ich hasse bewegliches Haus!
Vermutlich gehend, Ausgabe Sonntag zu sein, der Web site der Agenturen betrachtet!
My head hurts Last week I was at Loughborough University for a course on Internal Combustion Engines. Got back to London on Friday around 7 o'clock after a 4hr drive. I cut back across Melton and Oakham through to the A1 to miss the M1 so it was quite a nice route although it was piddling down! The course was pretty good although quite intense. Most of it I covered on my degree but that was a couple of years ago now so its always good to have a refresher. We also had 2 evening library sessions from 7-9:30pm which weren't best popular. There was 6 of us from Delphi and another 10 from Perkins in Peterborough. One of which I'm sure batted for the other side (and was tip top by the way!!) but as usual I was too anal to do anything about it so I guess I shall never know! lol
Yesterday me and Will went to view a couple of houses, one in Grove Park and one in New Eltham. The first was a bit shitty and the two dolly birds that drive us round in their beaten up Polo (not wearing seatbelts!) didn't install any confidence in me. I could well imagine them out on the beers last night 'getting their norks out for the lads'. So as we left the black trouser suits and fake tan of Grove Park we hung around New Eltham and somewhere Cray a bit until our next viewing at 5:30PM. The lovely Anita (sadly not Anita Dobson) met us. The house we viewed was quite nice and close to New Eltham station (and a Co-op and a pub called the Bee-Hive - like being back home!!) but the size of the place and the quality of the décor wasn't the best in the world. I guess were just finding it a bit of a reality check after living in such a nice place in Docklands. But the whole point of this is to try and save money. The odd thing as well was that the people were still living there, and apart from being awkward, if we do take it I know I'm gonna be ending up sleeping in the bed of a little girl or a big black momma! It did have a lovely front room though and a lovely garden and a yellow rose bush in the front garden!
Decision decisions. I hate moving house!
Probably gonna be spending Sunday looking at websites of agencies!
Off up North for a bit I leave for Loughborough shortly - I have been enrolled on a course this week on Internal Combustion Engines at Loughborough University. I've been given this lovely diesel Mazda 6 for the week so I shall see how she holds up on a long run. Might be tempted myself when I come to changing my Rover, I certainly like it so far. So its back to uni for me, albeit for a week only. It'll be weird sitting in a lecture hall again, but at least time I'm staying in a hotel and not some grotty little flat above shops where murders take place!
Also me and Will have decided to move out of the flat at the end of October, mainly to cut costs but also to shorten our travel times to work. So the hunt begins. We're hoping for a house again, preferably with a garden. Hoping to arrange some viewings for next Saturday. Will's on nights though for the next two weeks so it's going to be a busy and disrupted time. I'm sure we'll find something we like though, we've been lucky in the past.
Avenue Q Went to see Avenue Q last night with a right motley crue (not the band). It was great! Very funny in places with brilliant songs and the performers were very talented - I really take my hat off to people of that calibre. Especially liked 'Christmas Eve' the Japanese character! I was also very impressed with the Noel Coward Theatre which I learnt today was only renamed that this year and reopened after massive refurbishment on June 1st this year for the opening night of Avenue Q!!
I also read up on Noel Coward whilst I was at it.
Spokkily the Noel Coward Theatre holds 872 people, which is also the name of my dept at work!! *cue Twilight Zone music*
Two ships that pass in the night... or 3 or 4 What a top weekend! Started off on Friday when I met Ed and Geoff, mates and former colleagues from Ford, for a pizza and drinks. Geoff's ex Briony met up with us and later we went on to a nice place up Great Windmill Street where Ed's lovely housemate was having a few drinks with work mates. Forget her name but she was pretty drunk. They all went on to Fabric and I made my way home.
Then yesterday I struggled to get up in time to meet some of the lads from Fibre Optic at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich at 11:00. Luckily when I caught the DLR from Mudchute Steve and Chris were on the same train! lol We met up with Dave and Damian and Richard from Big Brother (Steve's friend John). The lovely architect! Afterwards we popped along to The Gypsy Moth near the Cutty Sark in Greenwich where Sam and Martin met us for a drink. I had that rather lovely Cherry Beer I first had there with Shell and Tasha 2 weeks ago.
From there we caught a boat to Westminster. Great weather for it, and as ever it was really enjoyable, although I'm starting to know their commentary by heart! lol From Westminster I suggested we go to a place I know near Waterloo, which we did for a drink, collecting Bryan and Ste along the way, and meeting Will in there. Deciding not to eat there cos the main restaurant wasn't open yet (and if we carried on drinking there for another hour and half on an empty stomach I would have been even more drunk than I was!! If that's possible), we moved on to a nice place on the South Bank. I had a Sea Food Risotto which I'm sure was very nice, but my sense of taste was limited owing to this pesky cold. At this juncture Ste departed for the Theatre, he went to see that raunchy puppet show, which turns out is where my sister had gone as well! lol Small world. And she saw Little Neil!
After food we traipsed up to The Village, Old Compton's Street for £2 drinks and after quite a few "Eh Luigi's" and many more drinks, the few of us that were left went on for one in Compton's then The Admiral Duncan.
I can't really remember much more after that! ;o) Apart from I enjoyed it. lol
Thanks for a really great weekend, and thanks to Will for getting me home! lol
JMC LD Transit Been a busy week so far at work even though both my immediate bosses are on holiday the next 2 weeks. Have had a lot to do on the test rigs investigating issues seen by the engine manufacturer. Think I've struck on something that's going to be useful.
It's been very bloody hot though - they've chosen this week apparently to overhaul and service the AC system in the offices so we're all flaking by about mid morning! lol Clever!
Eurgh!! Gahh!! Why do I even consider anything could ever happen with attractive, eligible young men who i seem to have something in common with?? They're always taken and why wouldn't they be? lol *goes mad*
Still, popping out tomorrow night for a birthday drink then home at the weekend for my sister's Birthday outing to Stevenage! lol
Much drinking is to be had. And in this heat it's terrible! lol
It's the Indian's leaving do at work tomorrow lunchtime as well - we couldn't organise anything for the evening so we're popping down the pub at lunchtime to bid them fond farewell.
Just said goodbye to my mate Shell who's on her way back to Northampton after a fantastic weekend. Met Shell at uni in Birmingham and unfortunately haven't seen her that much since I finished my studies in 2003. And I've seen my mate Tash even less even though she now lives in London too but she also popped over Friday/Saturday. Was great to see them both. I've uploaded a few pics to my gallery:http://pics.livejournal.com/geoffrodriguez/gallery/0000cr5f Went out up Canary Wharf Friday night then got a boat from Greenwich to Westminster on Saturday after a pint in Greenwich. Ended up at a nice little Jazz bar near Waterloo Station where we had some food and drink and ogled Carlos the waiter! lol
After we said farewell to Tash, Shell and I came back to the flat and played a bit of cards with Will before watching a couple of classic Most Haunted episodes! Then today we popped up to Narrow Street just off the Thames near Limehouse. Popped into a pub called 'Grapes' where Sir Ian MacKellen is said to drink occasionally and then we popped next door to a charming little place called Bootys and both had a crab salad. Beautiful. There were loads of boats going by with some large, old sail boats - very picturesque.
Bit of a wind down now before the new working week. :o(
Shine on.... Had an interesting section meeting this afternoon. We have one each month where our boss updates us on all the different programs we're working on and any other news including updates from his monthly meeting at the technical centre in Blois in France. The most interesting thing was that Delphi have won a largish contract to supply the fuel injection system to one of the upcoming Ford programs and Ford (Dunton) where I used to work might be looking for a resident engineer up there at least part time from around October time.
Nothings set yet but I might put my name forward for it, as I would be reporting to a chap called Richard Penn who I used to work for when I did Mondeo calibration work when I was there. He's also sponsoring my Institute of Mechanical Engineers application so we have that relationship which might be in my favour.
Sad news today with the death of Syd Barrett, co-founding member of Pink Floyd. He had been drifting along living an almost reclusive existence in Cambridge since the early seventies when he parted from the band due to ever increasing effects of drugs. Some say he was a huge loss to the music industry, and that I don't doubt, but I can't help feeling a little glad he did leave when he did otherwise we almost certainly wouldn't have got the classic post-Barrett Floyd sound that I adore so much. God rest his soul though and I'm sure the lads from The Floyd will be upset because they all viewed him fondly.
Had a top weekend (just gone). Ben, Si, Aaron and Farren came down for the weekend. Involved being very drunk and a boat trip again into London so I was happy! lol Ended up at a Salsa Bar on Saturday night and I was enjoying it.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
geoffrodriguez's journal
happy
bored
weird
stressed
nervous
tired