Friday night my brother came back from Cambridge, so we had a nice family meal. Then Saturday mum and dad went off to Wales to see our friends Uthula and Nelum and their sprogs, sorry kids, Dylan, Shane and Triona. So I set about looking for some shelves for my room which my brother could do the DIY for, cos me and DIY just don't do!! We did the usual Homebase and Do It All, but they only had narley wooden shelves which cost £30 each, so I said sod that for a game of soldiers, so I drove half way to Coventry to see if this other furniture shop did anything, but no. So, back to Rugby to good old Argos, and low and behold shelves just like what I needed!! I took Suran out for lunch at the place on the corner of the High Street in Rugby, to make up for the fact that he was going to have to put together the shelves for me and carry them to the car!
The afternoon was spent re-arranging furniture how I wanted it, and once the shelves were done, it actually looked quite good. It looks kind of empty cos I've chucked out all my bits and bobs I had on my shelves.
Dave turned up in the evening and the 3 of us went out for a Chineese meal. I don't know what they put in my Coke, but I was supposed to be driving and I was acting kind of drunk, but I put it down to the people I was with. I wound up spilling a piece of Sweet and Sour Chicken on my brother and volunteering to get it washed the next day. Dave was really excited cos he'd had his first motorbike lesson that day and they were pushing him into his test by next weekend, he has ridden before, but not for years, but once he was back on the saddle, I guess he was back in the saddle again! It'll be good, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing him in leather, but I'm still a wee bit dubious about bikes, but I'll get over it.
Sunday, when we finally dragged ourselves from bed, Dave fried some eggs and tomatoes and he had a fried egg sarnie and I had mine in a croissant. In the afternoon, Dave, my brother and I went to the cinema. Suran had already seen South Park and Austin Powers 2, so he went to see 2 other films - the Thomas Crown Affair and Mickey Blue Eyes, while Dave and I watched the afore mentioned films.
Dave had to leave once we got back home, he's got to get back to his fishies these days. As long as he doesn't leave me for a fish, I wont get jealous of him spending all his time with the fish!! Also, he wanted to slob out on the Bank Holiday, and I had loads to do, so I wasn't too upset - Woops, I'm not supposed to say stuff like that am I?
Sunday, I found my new Oxford, OK, so it's Cambridge, so it probably doesn't count, but it's got the same sort of atmosphere and guys with public school haircuts and punting on the river and the same melange of pubs and bars and restaurants. We went to a very popular Noodle Bar. It was great, appart from the fact that you had to sit back to back with the next table on benches and there was a rather large bloke behind me and I was worried he might collapse on me and squish me.
We went back to Suran's, and when we got out of the car, Mum trapped her fingers in car door and was in agony. You don't very often see my mum in pain. She has a very high pain threshold.
We got lost on our way home from Cambridge, cos my parents have never gone straight home after dropping my brother off, and I think my Dad's going to get a speeding ticket, cos one of these speed camera things flashed at him. Ah well.
Yesterday was a really busy day at work, cos I had all the emails building up from the weekend and Monday to catch up on. Oh and I did call one of our authors a Plonker. Arggghhhh. I didn't notice it until after I'd send the email. I'd been sent this email from one of the other guys from Wrox which had Piotr Plonker as the subject and I just forwarded it to the bloke when I was trying to hastle him to get some more chapters written. So I panicked and then realised there was nothing I can do. I hope they either don't know what the word means in America and think it's a complement or just don't notice it, but hey, these things never happen and I'm sure I'll be in trouble soon. I guess I'd better check things more.
In the evening, there was this documentary on Australia and the Aborigines, and they kept mentioning the Olympic games, which got me thinking about how if I'd still been with David, I'd most probably be getting married next year, with helecopters to take me to Coombe Abbey and a working honeymoon in Australia, seeing David when he wasn't working on the Olympic games. Bizzare hey how things change. Cool hey?
Arggghhhggh. I'm going to get repetative smile injuries. You know when you work with people, is it compulsory to smile at them every time you walk past them? I know it's nice and polite and everything, but I'm getting tired of forcing smiles out of my mouth! It's kind of like being at school again, working in a big company - with all the cliques and people you know you really shouldn't get on the wrong side of, but hey maybe it's just me again!!
So much for my diet, I'm back on the roast chicken flavour crisps and Snickers bar. I put it down to the dread I have of hearing from this Piotr Pillock/Prat/Plonker bloke. I cringe ever time I have mail. I'll let you know if I get my neck slit for it!
Rob wrote this poem this morning, based on the time when he came to Rugby station before I picked him up to take him to Jane's party:-
Waiting For Chandy
Arriving in Rugby ahead of time
Like a person re-entering a time loop too early and meeting themselves
I hear the train I should have been on being announced
and wait for myself
I phone Chandy for a lift
but she doesn't notice the anomaly
[back in the present
the man at the desk next door to me is speaking in numbers
he berates himself and will probably begin swearing soon
the epicentre of a negative wave
a butterfly flaps its wings in Acocks Green]
A whole host of birds flies over Rugby Station
They are black and white
shoaling and flocking
too many to take in at once
catching the sun
brilliant
memory sharp
I am scent sensitised
racing pigeons have been released
from huge box trailers
in a nearby car park
they are gone
their scent trails
Stepping out of my door every morning
my first scent is always heavy with the river
Today I seem to have held that thought
slowly today
Rob
A poem by Rob Miller. I told him it's a shame they don't pay poets enough.
