Boy's in the hoody

Had a good night in drop-in last night. There wern't that many in at any one time, which always helps. It was a bright night so some of them were hanging around the street playing football. They played that universal game of 'football squash'. It was the extreme version, because there was a 15ft window on one end of the wall. A few hair raising moments, but the window survived.
One of the boys always has his hood up, as a way of conceling his identity. It works as well as Hannibal's disguises in the A-Team, mainly because he is the only one in Garvagh with his hood up. So, you see the hoody and go "oh look, it's Gary!"

Star Wars extras

Three sites to enhance the experiance.
I don't know if i should believe Star Wars spoilers. It seems to have the outlines for Episodes 7, 8 & 9, by Lucas (the ones he always talked about making).
Ever wondered what Darth Vader felt before the battle of Endor? Now you can read his blogg, The Darth Side.
This one was sent to me by Alex; you can have your mind read by the dark lord himself. Sith Sence really works and is ever so funny. Lots of lovely Star Wars insults.

Long week

Had a mixed week at work.
Monday was the High School Sports day, and its always good to go to support the yps we know. It was a wet day, so it started off in the sports hall with the high jump. Good atmosphere and some records broken. We did move ourside for some other events. Some of the kids really get involved and compete really well. One of our boys got the Jr sports cup.
That night at drop-in, I played table tennis with a fella I don't usually connect with, but during the game we got on great. I won, so I did a lap of houner around the table, and we both thought it was fun, untill one of the older boys shouted ove "gay", and the atmosphere changed. I am in no way worried at being called gay, that's by no means the worst they can call me, but it made me understand why a lot of them don't make an effort at anything and end up standing round the street corners at nights, instead of any of the clubs and drop-ins in the town. If any of them are seen to be having fun, they are made out to be abnormal. This was illustrated on Thursday night drop-in, when one of the boys heard the councel would take away the bonfire, decided to bun it. Instaed of organising a group of them to move it, he bunt it. Dogs in the manger.
On a light note, had some conversatons about "gothics". I had to stop them after afew minuits of "gothics" and tell them, with some force that the word was "goth", and they did change. One girl slaggedd off the stupid way goths dress, while she was wearing a red velvit track suit (nothing wrong with that). Also was told of a couple of people who were "expended" fron school. SOme timesits hard to keep a stringht face.
Wasn't well during the week, so I missed the mens fellowship. I had shivers and sweats and went to bed at 8.30pm, and shivered and sweated in my sleep for over an hour. Then I got up and had toast, nad slept through the rest of the night. I then had a bad headache on friday, that is just going away now. I don't usually get bad headaches, the last one was christmas 1995. It may have come from standing around the field on Monday.
Happily, Caroline came by last night for a natter. She has a job in england helping ex-cons get on in the world (or something like that ). Good to end the wek with a friend.

Revenge of the sith (SPOILERS)

Just back from seeing the movie. I have been excited about this all week, and even more so after I booked the tickets. I even listened to the music while washing the dishes.
I expected better, but it was still good. We did have people behid us discussing the reasons for the 12a rating for the first few mins of the movie and the usual idiot who insists that bringing the noisiest sweet wrappers enhases the whole movie going experience.
LIKED: Lots of action, and you get lingering questions answered (like why does c3p0 and r2d2 not remember Obiwan), Mace Winu (is he still alive) - more like Shaft in space. Wookies were good, but could of been on for longer and had a plot.
ANNOYED ME: the constant dramatics, especially when they unvail something that eveyone should know; eg-"Anikin, I now name you Darth (dramatic pause) Vader". We know that, and we knew who the wookie was as well. Frankinstine Vader, as he gets his new old look, and that little 'childling' giving his line (I laughed out loud at the bad acting). It was also a bit too long for the content. It was streatched out a bit too long. The whole movie had a nausiating effect, where the sceans didn't quite dovetail as well as you would expect. The lightsaber battles were just a blur, too much swinging about.
It was a good movie. Not as good as Episode 4, 5, as good as 2 and 6, but definatly better than 1.
Click for a great Lego version.

He hung up first!!!

I got a sales call after teatime:
Seller: Hello Mr Adams?
Me: Yeeaass?
Sell: My name is Phill and I am calling from (some place) in London. You are a BT customer?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: I am calling to offer you free weekend calls in the weekend starting at 6pm on Friday night and finishing at 6am on Monday morning do you use the phone to call friends and family?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: do you use it alot of a little?
Me: A little.
Phill: Never mind can i confirm your address?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: is it (gives 1st line of address)?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: (gives town)?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: (gives postcode)?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: Can I confirm your date of birth?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill:......
Me: ......
Phill: Can I confirm you date of birth?
Me: Yeeaass?
Phill: ....
Me: ....
Phill: Please confirm you date of birth.
Me: You haven't given it to me so that I can confirm.
Phill: Please confirm your date of birth.
Me: I cannot comfirm it if you havent told me what you think it is.
Phill: Please give me your date of birth.
Me: No.
Phill: Why not.
Me: I am sensative about my age.
At this point Phill realises that he will not make a sale and promptly hangs up (with no good-by) and dials the next person on his list. This all lasted 2 mins and 33 secs. My challenge to you is to get the unsolicited tellephone sales person to hang up on you in less time. Remember, they have to hang up on you, not the other way bout. Yes, hunting season is open!!

Julie was ment to be looking meaning fully at the bikes (In Ballycastle)to show what the north coast will be like over the next week, with the North West 200 on, but was scared of the bikers (who were eating ice-creams). 

Proud day for father as baby played with Spiderman doll for first time. Emotions running high. 

Spidy Vs giant baby 

she cried

I have now got Julie watching Dr Who. It is soo good. We do try to have one programme a week that we purposly sit down together and watch, but that has not happened for a while since 'Monk' finished and 'ER', well, just got too bad to watch. We did start to watch 'New Tricks', but Julie is starting to get into DrWho. We watched last nights episode together, and she cried at the sad storyline. Cool.

I have finished teh Dr WHo book 'The Space Age'. Dispie only having read one eights Dr book, and not knowing the companions Fitz or Compassion (who is a tardis as well - I have no idea) the book kept me hooked. A group of Rocker and Mods were transported from 1965 england to a future utopia, and do what they do best: fight, destroy and generally make things into a dystopia. But where are they, why can't they leave the city, and what happened the origional ocupents. Good mystery, which yo figure out half way through, but your interest in the characters makes you read on untill the end. Pulp, but good pulp.

Dr is out

Used Dr Who as an ilistration in the High school assembly. I usually loose their intrest when I mention 'God', 'Jesus' or the 'Bible', and tut in disgust, but today I managed it with 'Dr Who'.

I am not long back from our boys night. Mixed emotions. Two of the four coming negitiated to get out early to go to the Circus, so we just did the talk (about identity), but they were more intersted in getting out, than particpating, so I don't know how much they understood. Tomorrow evening we are going banana boating (my feet stay on land).

The great entertainment for the other young poeple in Garvagh tonight: the Cornerstone gat was open for an hour!!!! Excitment. (I mean, some of those could of been at the boys night, but standing on the street corner, and that is a great time for them.)

Don't ask why I thought this....

Do Nationalists call 'LondonderryAir' a french bum?
(if this needs explaining, do ask).

Market research

Spent time on Saturday at Ballymoney Farmers Market, and today at Coleraine French Market, and rather than bore you with detaled description of each, I will do some short comparisons.

• Coleraine French Market had many stalls, run by French people, and containing genuine French produce.
• Ballymoney Farmers market had 7 stalls, containing stuff you would find at any carboot sale, run by people from Greater Belfastish

• Coleraine French Market had two stalls selling a wide range of French Cheese (I bought some niceBrie).
• Ballymoney Farmers Markes had one stall with two cheeses, one with black bits, and one with green bits. I couldn't choose between the two, so I went 100 yards over to Tesco and looked and there wide range of lots of cheeses. I really could not understand why this woman came all the way from Antrim with two types of cheese to sell. Are we that desprit for entertainment in Ballymoen that we will go to a bad farmers market for cheddar with black/green bits?
• Coleraine French Market had a french 5 piece Jazz band (lead, drum, double Bass, trombone and sax)
• Ballymoney Farmers Market had two bored face painters.

• Coleraine French Market had a stall making and selling creps.
• Ballymoney Farmers Markes was .... er.... bad.

I did mean to have photos, but I forgot the camera today, and, genuinly, the photos of Ballyoney FM dissapeared from the camera. I think it wanted to forget the monotony of it all and wipe it from its memory.

I did watch Dr Who. Great first half but after Rose got pally with the Dalek, wasn't so dramatic, but still good. When the Dr was even feeling sorry for the Dalek, I did have a flash of "wouldn't it be so cool if the Dr invited it to be a companion". Imagion it, traveling the space/time universe with an exkilling machine as your mate. You missed a good plot twist in that story, Russel. I wonder if they will ever tell the whole story of 'the Last Great Time War'. According to the books, it was with the 8th Dr.