That would be 5000 pageviews not just a random number. I managed to pass it at long last without even noticing it. Woo hoo...

Anyway, obviously I have nothing to do with this statistical statisticky thing so really there's some credit due to the people who are.

An almighty thanks then to all my friends, watchers and passers by who have been kind enough to take a look at my artwork from time to time - even the ones who didn't like it.

My friends:



and my brother

Groups:

Alas, I'm only a member of one...

Alright, it's probably about time I updated my journal but as usual there is not a lot of stuff that happens to me worth talking about and Fridays episode of Derren Brown's new show was a nice example of this.

As some of you may not be aware of Derren Brown (he's well known in the UK but I'm not sure about worldwide) I'll start with a brief explanation of what exactly he does that warrants a show. To put it briefly he's an old fashioned illusionist/magician with all the elaborate trickery that's involved. Except he doesn't use gadgets or hidden compartment but prefers to replicate the old kinda psychics of Victorian magic, spending his time subconsciously planting ideas and behavioural patterns in his audience that he can later exploit to make it seem as if he can either read minds, control people with his mind (which is kinda true) or predict a seemingly unique series of choices made my a member of the audience. In short he tells people what to do and makes it seem like he predicted that they would do it. It's all very clever and impressive but I don't watch him much because it's not very entertaining.

Anyway this friday his big trick was sticking his audience at home (watching the TV) to their chairs using a little video clip he'd developed using a test audience (the original versions had some interesting reactions with one guy spontaneously lifting his arms in the air only to get them stuck there and another girls pretty much bursting into tears for no reason).

I sat. I watched. I followed all the intructions. I stood up with no difficulty at all. Nothing interesting happens to me.

My friends:



and my brother

Groups:

Alas, I'm only a member of one...

A rubbish title that suggests something interesting is gonna be written here but I am just referring to the film, which I am now the proud owner of.

Just the the DVD mind - no intellectual property rights or anything. I have to admit it's much better than I remembered it (an I was a big fan as a child - I just thought I liked a bad film) and you can't really fault a film with Charles Dance as the bad guy (although Last Action hero comes perilously close). It's not brilliant but it's one of those nice little bit of fantasy the 80s did so well (Legend, Dark Crystal, Willow and Dragonslayer included - though not Ladyhawke, 10 minutes was quite enough of that thank you).

Anyway I did have something to put in this journal but it's gonna sound a little weird. Halloween is nearly over (in August!?! I hear you not say). Finally I'm almost finished writing descriptions for the vast amount of Halloween decorations, costume and general bits and bobs that the company I work for sell on ebay. That is to say in a few weeks (depending how fast I work) I finally get some time off to sleep. Joy!

Okay, I know this journal is a little tedious so for those of you who made it this far - well done, there is a reward (well not really). But I've a handful of new friends recently and gained a few new watchers so I'm going to offer everyone the opportunity to ask me anything you like and I will try and answer honestly (obviously if you ask for my bank details I will lie and give you my brothers instead.... hmm I hope he doesn't read this...).

Obviously few to none of you will ask anything and really I would normally answer any question any time anyway but I may as well make the invitation. And if you want tell me a little about yourself too there's no harm in that either - I don't know all that much about you all past what you right in your journals (I do actually read them).

My friends:



and my brother

Groups:

Alas, I'm only a member of one...

I'm having a great year so far.

So far for the first four days of owning a car it was trapped on my front garden by someone who abandoned their car directly in front of mine so I couldn't maneouver out, I've scratched my car twice and punctured the tyre on a bolt left right outside my garage which I then took to a garage who didn't have a replacement tyre in stock so I had to wait a day but I could keep my wheel there overnight in their care which they promtly lost by accidently sending it to be scrapped and I had to wait another day for that to be recovered which is all well and good except that all at once and just as I finally get my wheel back now and full use of my car an entirely new set of circumstances are on the attack including a chipped tooth and the impending replacement of the entire central heating system and pretty much every other gas powered appliance because me have numerous small and large gas leaks.

Oh glorious joy and eternal happiness. Go on universe try something else to ruin my day, see what happens.

Sorry, in the grand scheme of things that's all rather irrelevent but still hugely irritating to happen within weeks of each other. At least my house didn't blow up (blow up boom not blow curious rubber toy that would be peculiar).

My friends:



and my brother

Groups:

Alas, I'm only a member of one...

After 2 weeks with a flat tyre and a few days on my mini spare my tyre is now replaced (the large bolt had not only caused a bad puncture but in the few metres I moved it flat it had scraped away the inner tyre wall) I can now return to driving as normal.

Mini safe saver tyres are a great idea but they make the car handle weird and you have to drive slowly (under 50mph so local travel only) and carefully (no potholes or humps ideally - which is hard work in my hometown where you're either climbing over a roadhump or dropping down a pothole).

Either way it's fixed and I have a shiny new tyre. Woohoo.

My friends:



and my brother

Groups:

Alas, I'm only a member of one...