What's made your day that little bit better?

Managed to get some of my younger colleagues from work to go to a weekly pub quiz with me and Kerry. Very pleased by this development, even though it means drinking on a Sunday night (not a good idea).

No, I don't believe they did.

Just make sure nobody quizzes James about it. Too much pressure so soon!

Oddly, my social life has suddenly become extremely active - probably the most active it's been since I was about 21. I like it! Also oddly, the people with whom I am socialising are mostly my subordinates* at work, which brings a few problems. But I'm enjoying life quite a lot more than I have for years, more I think than I have since before my dad died (2003).

*One of these subordinates is young, female, incredibly smart and incredibly gorgeous. Needless to say, no inappropriate thoughts ever cross my mind, but it's quite interesting watching her attract men like moths to a flame, constantly, whenever we're in public, and the ways she deals with that. I'd never really realised that it might be a "problem" to be someone like that but now I see that it brings its own challenges.

Pics or it didn't happen.

I went to the Tuesday night pop quiz last night.

For the very first time ever there was a film music round, I mean A PROPER FILM MUSIC ROUND, all film score and no songs ( there have been film music rounds before but usually consisting of 90% pre-existing songs used in films ), when this came up my four team mates gave me the sheet to write the answers "no pressure, Tim" I was told, "but we expect 100% correct answers".

I got 7 / 10

There were a few "the usual suspects", Dances With Wolves, Indiana Jones, Gladiator, Pirates of The Caribbean, Bladerunner etc but there were a few I couldn't ( and wouldn't ) have got....SAW, and two others I can't remember.

On another table were two girls ( both very attractive and in their twenties ) who got ( get fucking this ) 8 / 10


I will NEVER live this down.

I've met Bregje and on close inspection I could see that it wasn't Bregje in disguise

On a Tuesday night? I wish I had been, at least I could've excused my 7 / 10 score.

I wanted to have a chat with them after the quiz but they left as soon as it was over. They'll be back again, I've seen them at the quiz before but then I had no reason* to strike up any conversation.

*All in a most appropriate way of course, I'm not 'on the pull'

Refer them to me.

I'm not even joking. I love her already.

Spent the evening out at place called Northop College, not far from where we live here in North Wales. The college is where Anne is a lecturer and the evening there was a fundraiser to help send some students on a trip to Ecuador sometime next spring.

The main event of the evening was a talk given by Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, the two birdwatchers who went round the world in 2008 seeing how many species they could see in the calendar year. They set a new world record of seeing well over 4,000 different species, visiting 27 different countries on the way. They gave a talk on their own experiences when they were in Ecuador. They showed some gorgeous pictures of the birds they saw in this country. It was a great evening - and raised over £300 for the Ecuador pot.

But what "made my day a little bit better" was that I had the opportunity to hold a spider: a Chilean Rose tarantula. And it was great! It felt as soft as velvet as it crawled over my hands. This won't cure me of my dislike (maybe "hate" is an appropriate word on this occasion) for spiders that I find around the house (these are a completely different proposition).

I think these tarantulas will eat small spiders and I would be quite happy to have a few tarantulas loose in the house to keep the smaller spider numbers down.

There were a group of us, many who had not held a spider before, and one-by-one we each held it. And every one wanted to do it again!

Yeah.

my foot is a bit better from the therapy yesterday.

An instant 1000,000,000,000 kudos points to Alan