The Most Fantastic Alarm Clock Ever

This has to be the most fantastic thing I've seen all week. Completely brilliant! The story behind its creation is also very interesting, especially for budding entrepreneurs.

Labyrinthine Pleasures

At the weekend we were at an engagement party in Wimbledon. Now Wimbledon is a part of London that I don't think about much since it is south of the river, and I have memories of trying to get a night bus back from there after a party once. Urgh. However, this time I saw a nicer side of it. Not only can you get to it without changing lines from Paddington, but you can also drive back from there to Bath in less than two hours when the traffic is good. That's pretty cool. I was already slightly impressed then when we went for lunch at The Fire Stables, a gastropub near 'Wimbledon Village' that is pretty good (it won Time Out's best gastropub award in 2001). We only had a light lunch, but the food was good. The beer front was slightly disappointing though, since it's a Youngs pub. They only had one bitter on tap (Youngs, funnily enough), but it was nice enough. Certainly worth popping-in if you're after a bite to eat anyway.

On Tuesday we went to see Pan's Labyrinth, which is really, really good. Catch it while you can at the cinema - you won't regret it. I'd say it's possibly the best film of 2006. It's pretty freaky though - the white thing with the food?? My God. You'll know what I mean if you've seen it.

The Joys of Heathrow, and the lack of them in Uganda

Last week I was at the Radisson Edwardian in Heathrow for a week of training with my company. It was interesting and worthwhile, but it's a bit odd not going outside for almost a whole week. The trouble is, there isn't much to go outside for when you're in an industrial estate next to Heathrow airport. Actually, 'industrial estate' is unfair - it's more of a strip of hotels, much like the Strip in Las Vegas, only without the gambling, strippers, and so on.

Come the weekend I was going a bit crazy so it was time to kick back a bit. Apart from generally chilling out I somehow knackered my knee, which still hurts. I blame this 'going to the gym' nonsense that I've managed to maintain since the New Year. We also managed to catch The Last King of Scotland, which is very good. It starts off fairly light-heartedly, but make sure that you don't have anyone too squeamish with you near the end. It's pretty gripping the whole way through though and really well done.

I hate to go on, but my knee is giving me jip. I'm going to have to drive to work tomorrow I think - I couldn't make the walk today and caught the bus after the first ten minutes. I don't think I could even do that tomorrow. I'm rubbish at pain, and I'm not afraid to admit it!

Water

Bottled water is pretty stupid. Everyone knows this deep down, even if they insist on buying it. I must admit that if I'm out of the house and have to choose a soft drink, I do tend to pick water over Coke or something. However, there's no hiding the fact that drinking it in the home is pretty idiotic. If any of your acquaintances can't see this, then the fact that it is not particularly safe either might help to convince them. If that fails, you really should find the Marcus Brigstoke rant on the last series of the Now Show - the Podcast is still available!

This Life

A happy New Year to you all!

This year I spent New Year's Eve at a party in Bristol. There were drinks and snacks, champagne at midnight, then an hour or two of playing music 'intro' identification board games. We made the most of the fireworks other people let off around midnight, and all in all it was a splendid evening. This is how I know I'm in my thirties.

I'm back at work now of course, and it still has a certain novelty value to it. I have made a positive start to this year too - I joined a gym. This sounds like the sort of thing that lots of people do as one of their 'resolutions', and while I'm generally not a 'New Year resolutions' person (if something is worth doing, do it immediately!) this seemed like a good time. I walk past the gym every day on my way to work and back, so it makes sense to pop in there every morning and at least use their shower instead of mine. Might get some exercise in too!

Last night I watched the one-off This Life +10. Retro memories abound! It was pretty good... always interesting to see characters as they are a few years after the end of a story. They're still messed-up of course, which is reassuring in some ways. (Potential spoiler coming up) I don't know why they killed-off Ferdy. The actor is still alive and well and they don't really mention why he's dead, unless I missed something. I guess his funeral served to get them back together, but that's a bit harsh for him...

Christmas

A Happy Christmas/Yuletide/Winterval/etc to you all. I hope that Father Christmas brings you everything you asked for tonight, and that you enjoy stuffing your face tomorrow!

Walnut Walnut

I experienced more new bits of London over the weekend, which is always nice. On Saturday we were in Beckenham (which likes to call itself Kent, but is London really). It's a suburb of SE London, about 20 minutes out from Victoria. In the evening we set out to Walnut Walnut, a restaurant in West Hampstead, for dinner. It was very good - the food was excellent, and I liked the exposed kitchen. The dining area itself was pretty cramped though! We finished quite late and got a minicab back across town at about 100mph, which added a high-adrenaline aspect to the evening.

The next day we went for a walk around Blackheath and poked around the shops and farmer's market there before heading down to Greenwich for a spot of lunch. We tried the Cutty Sark Tavern, but missed last food orders by about a minute. Still, we had a pint and the pub was pleasant enough. Afterwards we headed back to Paddington via the DLR. It was the first time I've used that - it's sort of like the tube but you can see out of the front. Also, I'm pretty sure it's automated, but there seemed to be a DLR worker sat at the front. Not sure what he does...