tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61421162011-10-15T10:32:00.713+01:00Tales from an increasingly disturbed mind trapped in the body of a physicist. Featuring all those various things which amuse, annoy, entertain or interest me enough to remember them and write about them.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.comBlogger2951100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-33494907640112908282009-01-27T23:50:00.002Z2009-01-28T00:06:03.164Z

It is currently about ten to midnight, and I'm sitting (well slouching) drinking Hennessy cognac that was bottled for Kenya Airways. It is all a little surreal. Well actually the cognac is quite nice, but other than that it is a little surreal.Let me tell you a story... Once upon a time there was a little boy who was teething, to take away the pain his grandmother used to rub brandy (well it

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-34575440978686455772007-04-22T17:20:00.000+01:002007-04-22T17:58:38.283+01:00

So it happened. As with all things, my American days have come to an end. I am no longer an Englishman adrift in the sea that is mid-western America. No longer do I have the excuse (and conversational tool) of being foreign. No more can I shrug my shoulders and say that it isn't my country. For now, for better or worse, I'm home. I always thought it would happen (my returning to England that is),

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-33199274880281503652007-02-13T21:26:00.000Z2008-12-11T20:37:11.798Z

So here we are, as promised photos of a beard and a groom's party. I sadly don't have any photos of the bride and groom together, as I didn't take very many photos throughout the night (instead opting for the getting drunk strategy).

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-16891167804823509292007-02-02T00:08:00.000Z2007-02-05T23:36:01.142Z

So where have I been? And why have I been so bad at blogging over the last few months? To start with the latter, I'd like to plead busy-ness and tiredness and dead laptop-ness, but I probably have to put most of it down to laziness.For the former, last I mentioned I was in Antarctica waiting for nice weather to launch our balloon. Well, the nice weather came on December 15th and our balloon was

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-9134714408123956872007-01-31T19:56:00.000Z2007-02-05T23:38:23.996Z

Here is my favourite photo from Antarctica, and yes that is a smoking volcano in the background.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-86508635473328915002007-01-25T22:15:00.000Z2007-01-25T22:17:14.013Z

... who fell for a Nigeria email scam. Silly boy.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-16798387342595806842006-12-12T02:54:00.000Z2007-02-05T23:38:44.868Z

So ANITA has been fully assembled for a while now, we declared flight ready almost 10 days ago and since then we've been waiting for the weather. It's not all that much fun to wait for the weather. It's particularly not fun on the days where the weather is almost good enough and we get out of bed early to catch the bus to Williams Field (it started with the bus leaving at 6:30am for the first

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-80471007890041292092006-12-01T08:15:00.000Z2006-12-01T08:24:17.296Z

So, it's been pretty busy down here on the Ice. In the last month ANITA has gone from a collection of of wooden crates recently off-loaded from a cargo ship, to a fully constructed balloon payload ready for it's hang test tomorrow (for those who aren't balloonatics — Jim's word, not mine — the hang test is the test we do before flight to ensure that our instrument plays nice with the NASA

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-72548860279412022422006-11-08T08:54:00.000Z2006-11-08T08:58:34.425Z

It's kind of amusing that at home I don't really have a political affiliation any more (growing up I was told that Labour was evil, the Lib Dems was a wasted vote and the Conservatives were the least bad option, but nowadays I'm not sure that any of them are better or worse than any others), but in America I discover I'm a Democrat — or to be more technically true, I discover I'm definitely not a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-47268766850389651582006-11-08T08:43:00.000Z2006-11-08T08:53:39.310Z

Yeah, I know it's a cliche but it's still strange to walk out of the bar at 9:30 in the evening (we get up at 6, so we try and keep it early) and it is still dazzling bright outside. In fact, it is always dazzling bright here in Antarctica and the wearing of sunglasses is apparently mandatory — not that I think there are penalties, beyond snow-blindness, for those who don't wear them.Working here

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-78985933463747862202006-11-01T04:20:00.000Z2006-11-01T05:13:03.887Z

Like all good stories this one starts with a football match. Unlike most football matches this one started at 8am on a Sunday. Unlike most football matches that I've played in, our team actually won. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it is true. (For reference: The Clawless Marauders, our outdoor seven aside team, managed to concede 70 goals in 6 games — one of which the opposing team didn't

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1153520707366881892006-07-21T23:24:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:28.099Z

Due to popular demand...Now I should probably describe my situation and mindset at the time of the shirt buying incident. That morning, it was a Saturday, I'd woken up on a bed that was a little too small for me in Las Vegas. That evening I had a flight to catch from LA to London so that I could be around for UCL's Rolling Grant review. Now I had no real idea what a Rolling Grant review consisted

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1152831467015755702006-07-13T23:56:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:28.016Z

Yeah, I know long time no post. I bet you thought I'd gone crazy from too many night shifts and killed all my colleagues with a some fishing line, or something. I didn't though. Honest. They are all as alive and well as they ever are. So, I'm back in Columbus after what seems like nine and half weeks — largely because it was nine and half weeks — and it is good to be back. Who'd think you could

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1151066591303606532006-06-23T13:10:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.929Z

So tonight marks the fourth (I think) night for which I've been in charge of the night shift here at SLAC — where the ANITA payload is currently dangling from a crane and recording pulse after pulse of Askaryan radio Cherenkov radiation emanating from a ten ton block of ice in the beam line. For some reason, even though I am getting something close to my normal (recent) quantity of sleep, when

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1148444598130856502006-05-24T05:22:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.848Z

Yes, it's that time of year again... it's ANITA integration time! Wherein a large number of physicists, engineers and technicians group together in a large room and try to figure out how we put all our toys together and make them work. What fun!So, here I am at nine O'Clock on Tuesday evening bravely battling against the evil forces of malignant disks and misanthropic IDE buses (trust me you

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1146805430713401032006-05-05T06:03:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.761Z

Yeah, that's right I'm in Utah. I know it's hard to believe but it's the truth. Of all the States I thought I'd be spending a night in, Utah wasn't very high on the list. Can you believe I even suffered the indignity of eating a steak dinner without alcohol at the restaurant this evening. Actually, to be honest with the exception of the no alcohol thing Utah isn't all that bad. For a start there

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1146189535687950002006-04-28T02:36:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.685Z

On Saturday night I went to a leaving party, to be exact I went to Matthias and Sabine's leaving party. They are leaving lovely Columbus, Ohio, and returning to Germany. All of which means that my office is busier than ever, my arms have hurt all week and I have a pineapple. None of which I were expecting.The office came as particularly surprising as I was expecting things to become quieter after

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1145404241240320852006-04-19T00:41:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.601Z

Regular readers (both of you) will probably have noticed the scarcity of posts in the recent couple of weeks. As you may be able to guess, this is largely due to the fact that for ANITA (the experiment I work on) it is getting perilously to the time when the brown smelly stuff gets up close and personal with rotary air mover. But I guess that's why the pay me the small, to medium sized, bucks.At

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1144969523270591692006-04-13T23:38:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.524Z

So, I'm back. And the Ohio bar owners association is rejoicing once more. Within a mere few hours of my arrival back in Columbus I was in a licensed premise and doing my bit for the oft beleagured alcohol industry. In fact I was in a bar filled with girls in costumes on roller skates, which I have to confess was not where I thought I would be as I sat looking out of the window of the plane a few

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1144043421823482082006-04-03T06:49:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:27.442Z

Well to be honest I don't really need wife, what I need is someone to save me from myself and I'm just not sure who would be willing to other than a wife. Now if I had bucket loads of cash, I could probably hire a personal assistant to do the job, but I don't have bucket loads of cash — although I do have a poster roll (you know one of those cardboard tubes that poster's come in) that is almost

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1143316270773057012006-03-25T19:46:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:27.360Z

From the popbitch issue that informed me of what a polecat is (it's a nocturnal weasel not a cat, and a prairie dog's a rodent) I came across the following.Find out what happens to breasts when girls run:http://www.shockabsorber.co.uk/bounceometer/shock.html

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1143315718801388422006-03-25T19:13:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:27.285Z

Unusual in the sense of there aren't very many Saturday posts, as opposed to this a particularly unusual post of itself. Now I must admit that I have on occasions walked down the train tracks. I've never really considered this to be a dangerous occupation. Of course I've never been trying to write a text message as I walked down the tracks, but still if I did I would still feel fairly safe. Of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1142985041395872952006-03-21T23:39:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:27.211Z

This story made me laugh. And not just smile or chortle but actually laugh out loud a couple of times. I found it particularly amusing that the TV show was called A Challenge to the Heart.Like I said I'm a bad person and I'm going to be toasty for eternity. In other news, I saw V for Vendetta this weekend. On the plus side Natalie Portman's attempt at an English accent was marginally less

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1142635726862906622006-03-17T22:47:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:27.135Z

In the morning I wake up, have a shower, drink some orange juice — or grapefruit, sometimes — and then start my stroll to work. There are days however when for one reason, or another, there is no juice in the house and I have to start the walk un-juiced. Yesterday was one such day.On such occasions I usually stop in at the United Dairy Farmers on High Street (the one at 12th, not the one at 1st —

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1142381664497940882006-03-14T23:54:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:27.057Z

Actually this post doesn't really contain any of that, I just thought it would be amusing to write it and then have people's hopes and dreams crushed, under a giant stone. Well okay, I didn't really think that I just thought it would be amusing to write it and ...You remember that Brit went to drunk camp last weekend, well this week he got to go and meet with his probation officer. What fun!

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1141865496751354422006-03-09T00:44:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.970Z

Drinking and GodThis weekend was Brit's three day getaway to the drunk class (yes, this was for his bicycle DUI). As I'd borrowed his car for the weekend I thought it only appropriate that when I picked up I brought him something. So I decided on a bottle of beer (naturally) and a copy of this book, Al-Anons Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions — which I found quite by accident whilst browsing

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1141170606432580322006-02-28T23:47:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.886Z

Columbus culture?I have no comment. Really I don't.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1141169231858128722006-02-28T23:22:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.811Z

Did you hear the one about Kurt? Apparently Kurt was walking through a park in Kent and stopped to talk to some of his friends. The conversation goes something like this (words courtesy of The Friday Thing)"Hello mate." said Kurt. "Hello mate. What have you been up to, mate?" "Fuck all, mate."At which point a police officer who overheard the conversation gave him an £80 on the spot fine.This is

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1140654280889040302006-02-23T00:20:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.714Z

...just in case you were worried I thought I'd get that out the way to start with. Today I'm even feeling a little better. Which is good. I could actually open both of my eyes this morning, not generally an achievement which I think deserves mention, but it was the first time since Friday morning that I could do it upon waking. Yesterday I made the mistake of trying to look up my symptoms on-line

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1140412717787574862006-02-20T05:07:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.630Z

So, I'm sick. And to be perfectly frank I don't like that. In fact if I'm honest about the situation I'm one of those typical males who when they're ill get all miserable and make the world generally an unpleasant place to be. In my defence though, this has been the first time in my life that I have been so ill that snot has started coming out through my eyes. Yes, through my eyes. And yes I'm

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1139960802506313122006-02-14T23:41:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.555Z

I was walking back from lunch today when a colleague said something about a sign being cute. I didn't see the sign until she pointed out the, 8 foot by 6 foot, happy Valentines chalk sign on the wall (apparently somebody hearts somebody else). I was like, "Oh yeah, isn't it Valentines tomorrow?" "No, it's today", came the reply and the laughter.Just a small reason why Ryan didn't get any cards

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1139876313717543022006-02-14T00:12:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.479Z

Sometimes Columbus surprises me. Every now and again the surprises are pleasant ones. One such time was last Tuesday when I did my laundry. Generally speaking laundry day is not a day of surprises, and when it is, they're not as rule pleasant surprises. However last week was different. Last week I went Dirty Dungarees. Dirty Dungarees is either a laundrette with a dive bar inside, or it's a dive

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1139429795240321932006-02-08T20:09:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.399Z

Now I'll admit it when I read the headline, Is Ritual Circumcision Religious Expression? in the New York Times Magazine this morning, my immediate answer was, No, of course it isn't. It is genital mutilation. That was just when I read the headline. Then I went ahead and read the article, availble here (registration or BugMeNot maybe required), and I genuinely didn't believe what I was reading.It

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1139272082692271832006-02-07T00:23:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.319Z

One time you were my baby chickenNow you've grown into a foxAnd once upon a time I was your little roosterAm I just one of your c****Did the NFL really need to censor the word cocks? Apparently. Living in a nanny state and lovin' it! Or something.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1139246154783530292006-02-06T17:11:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.244Z

So, yesterday was the Superbowl, and continuing my fine NFL gambling form I backed the Seahawks. Sadly, Pittsburgh picked this game to prove the old adage that it is better to be lucky than good. And my were they lucky. The bastards. Still you can't have everything, unless you're the Pittsburgh Steelers that is. I mean, one Seatle TD nullified for something and nothing, one Pittsburgh TD given

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1138843205714606632006-02-02T00:53:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.164Z

On Monday night I was involved in a discussion over whether or not Google Cache was in violation of copyright law. I was of the opinion that it wasn't, whereas a friend was of the opinion it was and should more correctly be called Google Republisher. The friend who was against Google was, un-incidentally, a friend of Blake Field — the Blake Field who tried to sue Google (as far as I can tell just

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1138406448152203592006-01-27T23:54:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.090Z

How did I manage to miss this story last week? Apparently, I was too busy reading all about Sven and how he's staying and then going.I have a plea to make to all politicians or future politicians: if you are going to be the home affairs spokesman for the party try not to have affairs. Are all politicians explicitly instructed to add the absurdity and irony in the world? eally it can't be that

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1138375383858289712006-01-27T15:17:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:26.016Z

This is Yesterday's post, that I couldn't post because Blogger was broken.I went to the bar last night, not a stunning admission I realise. To be precise I went to the St. James Tavern, which has become my local (even though the Sunset Lounge, which I do like a lot, is a block or two closer) since I moved into the house on Summit Street. The reason that I mention it is not just to try and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1138061592784876502006-01-24T00:11:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:25.934Z

So, surprisingly enough, nobody has bought one of my painstakingly created, artistic t-shirts. Not even me. I do think that the commenter was right and I may well have to add a "It doesn't fuck me" shirt to the lineup. But that'll have to wait until the muse strikes me.I've spent a lot of time over the weekend defending the whale rescue attempt to people who were second guessing it. Despite my

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1137543940160974292006-01-17T23:45:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:25.841Z

I was reading that nice Mr Gaiman's journal today and discovered that some friends of his are going to open an online store selling Gaiman merchandise. Well, I thought, if an internationally famous, best-selling author can have his own online shop why not an internationally barely known*, never sold a thing in his life, physicist**? I have to say the obvious reasons did spring to mind.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1137192608285380142006-01-13T21:53:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:25.745Z

For some reason this New York Times article on the British drinking culture (registration or BugMeNot required) irritated me. (As an aside: a colleague sent me this article, I think largely because most of my co-workers think that I'm something of an alcoholic. Silly Americans.) Of course this recent interest in us loveable (well I'm loveable, theoretically at least) Brits and our drinking

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1136935575613181602006-01-10T22:23:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:24.183Z

You'll be pleased to hear, or not give a toss I suppose, that my friend only had to spend a couple of nights in the hospital before the doctors said, "Yeah, you hit your head and it will hurt for a while... but there shouldn't be any lasting damage". Which was good news, and can hopefully draw a line under this New Year's. (Although I did receive my first free coffee of the year after telling the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1136330398903645502006-01-03T22:31:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.995Z

The ball has dropped (peculiar practice), the fireworks have fired, the kisses have been exchanged (though none by me — aw, poor Ryan I know) and 2006 has arrived. I trust that everyone had a wonderful time and did just enough naughty things to make the night exciting, but not quite enough to make the evening too exciting. As for me, I managed to do just enough naughty things to make the evening

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1135890255878751802005-12-29T20:56:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.920Z

So there's this guy, let's call him Ryan, who was lying in bed on Tuesday morning when he hears this loud clattering sound outside. As one is wont to do in such situations he rolls over and goes back to sleep. A little while later, after he has roused himself and prepared himself for the trip to work, he leaves the house and notices a police car with its lights flashing across the road. Seeing

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1135713286367047682005-12-27T19:48:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.849Z

To paraphrase the New York Times from Christmas Day: once more the battle has come to and end and for another year the War on Christmas is over. And yes, once more, Christmas was victorious!I trust that we all had a wonderful time and we all managed to make it onto Santa's good list this year. For me Father Christmas came a little earlier than usual on Christmas Eve; he came in the middle of the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1135356521032096042005-12-23T16:35:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.777Z

At the bottom of this weeks The Friday Thing (otherwsie known as the best fifteen pounds I spent last year) was the link below.http://www.ultimatechristianwrestling.com/photos.htmlWords fail me.For all of you out there who were worried about my recent housing problems — okay, so that'll probably just be Mumsie then — I have good news to report: we now have heating, water and a working kitchen

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1135201882018014992005-12-21T21:40:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.682Z

Yesterday when I got home from work I discovered that, much to my surprise, the landlord had come round and fixed the broken water pipe in the basement. Much joy and frivolity was had by all. Sadly, I didn't get to enjoy a shower with our new found water as I had, pessimistically, elected to go to the gym and have one (a shower — for you gutter minded folks) there before going home. Anyhow, we

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1135092022357072632005-12-20T15:15:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.608Z

Good News: after four increasingly frigid nights, the heating was finally working in our house last night. Yay!!Bad News: one of the water pipes in the basement broke. So whilst we do have heat, we don't have any water. The opposite of 'Yay!!'I love our house. No really, it's great. Honest.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1135031193073601262005-12-19T22:19:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.522Z

So, I get a phone call from one of my housemates on Thursday evening telling me that the furnace had stopped working. Bugger, was my first thought — but that's not saying terribly much. Anyhow, we call the landlord and leave him a message saying we've got no heat and decide to go down to the bar and drink enough such that we don't feel cold that night. I'm pleased to report that this is a task we

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1134432481377675392005-12-13T00:07:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.447Z

It's finally happened. The wait is over. And no I'm not talking about the beer monkey becoming Dr Leo Jenner (although on that note a big: What??? and Well Done!), I am instead talking about the long awaited return of the pre-gym blog post. I can't even remember the last time I went to the gym, although I do know it was before my spate of drunken foot mishaps. I can tell you're all purring with

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1134165079836185332005-12-09T21:26:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.368Z

Good Week: I'm in sunny Hawaii and not snowy Columbus.Bad Week: Four days of shouting physicists (and I'm really not joking me do a lot of shouting, even me).Good Week: England's World Cup Draw — Paraguay, Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago — I'd take that any day.Bad Week: United's limp exit from Europe (costing me valuable pennies)Good Week: Did I mention the Hawaii thing?Bad Week: Atlanta's limp

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1133484296560636462005-12-02T00:25:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.292Z

I'm worn out already and the post has only just started.Can you tell I've been a little busy lately? The lack of sparkling wit and astute observational skills per chance? No? Okay then, be like that.The main reason that there hasn't been a post since before Thanksgiving (little aside: I had marvelous Thanksgiving and did my best to make up for my 0 for 3 turkey rating by having two turkey dinners

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1132778202497736502005-11-23T20:35:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.215Z

It's Thanksgiving eve and outside Columbus is having its first real snowfall of the winter. What happened to Autumn? That's a good question, apparently it only lasts about a week and half. I fear that winter cold is going to be the order of the day from here on out. And you know what that means, it's time to think about buying a hat once more. At the moment I'm in my typical start of winter

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1132353484658310052005-11-18T22:24:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.143Z

This week was National Mouth Cancer Awareness Week back home in Blighty. In celebration of this fact scientists and the powers that be have decided to take on two of my favourite activities: drinking and oral sex. Admittedly, I practice the former with rather more regularity than the latter, but that doesn't change the fact that both are clearly essential parts of any 21st century civilisation.I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1132181428019356942005-11-16T22:50:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:23.070Z

Yesterday it rained. And I don't just mean there was a little moisture falling from the sky. I mean that God was angry and he sent a Noah-esque storm to wash Columbus off the map. Well okay, that might be a wee bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture. Now I don't mind getting a little wet. I don't even mind getting a lot wet. I do however get somewhat angry (and by somewhat angry I mean

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1131987826925363122005-11-14T16:55:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:22.994Z

Do you ever have one of those moments when you fall completely in love with something at the drop of a hat? I do, and today I fell in love with (well okay, I fell further in love with) The Friday Thing.The reason? They created the perfect word for describing voting females (and male politicians attempts to chase after them). The word, as those who read titles may have guessed, is vulvote. The

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1131410093175176162005-11-08T00:29:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:22.921Z

In a change to my usual posting routine (or whatever it is that's like a routine only missing the regularity) this is quick post before I head off down to the bar (normally I write these quickies before going to the gym).My one word review of the American justice system: Shambolic. At least that's how it was up on the 12th floor of Franklin County court house. Shambolic, but very entertaining.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1130943654421547642005-11-02T14:59:00.000Z2006-11-01T03:49:22.847Z

This weekend I hurt my toe, well actually I hurt two of the toes on my left foot. Today I am still hobbling and the toes are still somewhat purple and swollen. This is definitively not a good state affairs.As you may have guessed the incident involved the consumption of a small amount of alcohol. It started out tamely enough with a gin and tonic (well lemon and lime juice as they were out of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1130449664487085422005-10-27T22:47:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.774Z

So, I've finally decided on my picks for this week's college games. Ohio State (-3.5) @ MinnesotaOhio (-5) @ BuffaloWashington State (+29.5) @ USCTCU (-6.5) @ San Diego StateIdaho @ New Mexico State (-5)Michigan @ Northwestern (+3)I'm not too confident about New Mexico State, being as they haven't won all year, but maybe this is their week to get off the mark. It could well be my first 6-0 of the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1130262430117351552005-10-25T18:06:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.702Z

There is something about this story that is somewhat disturbing. (For those who don't follow links the story is about a test carried out in Johannesburg that finds circumcised men are 61% less likely to contract HIV.) Actually I tell a lie, there are several disturbing things about this story. Firstly, who the hell dreamt up this study and what were they trying to prove. I mean what good can come

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1130191361423040452005-10-24T23:30:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.627Z

My second favourite story of the weekend was that of Tropical Storm Alpha, which, I'm sad to report, has now been downgraded to Tropical Depression Alpha and looks like it will eventually lose in a fight with Wilma. For the first time ever we've used up all 21 names and we've had to move onto Greek letters. Although it looks like we might get away with it this year; I think it's a tad unwise to

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1129756339141998872005-10-19T22:06:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.555Z

It's official (well it's on the BBC News website) I now reside (well actually I think I only start residing here next month, but that's a whole 'nother kettle) in the 17th least corrupt country. Doesn't it just give you a warm, gooey feeling inside? A bit like a toasted marshmallow. Although it has be said that the UK is one whole point less corrupt than America, so those of you over there can

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1129753618004367672005-10-19T21:26:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.469Z

I stumbled across this job advert today. I think that I could probably blag the whole Ofcom regulation issue, but I'm not sure it's worth it for only a month long job.A missed opportunity possibly.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1129579064388072832005-10-17T23:00:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.393Z

Now, most people probably heard the story from a couple of weeks ago about a woman who got thrown off (well asked to wear her t-short inside out or leave) a plane for wearing a t-shirt. Now, I'm not quite sure how anyone thinks a t-shirt featuring Bush and Cheney and the phrase, "Meet the Fuckers" is either hilarious (as Lorrie Heasley, the woman in question, did) or offensive (as some

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1129327490649622072005-10-14T23:04:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.320Z

I saw a poster advertising the links between abortion and breast cancer on one of the noticeboards in the Architecture building (where I go for coffee), it directed me to this site. Curious, well part curious and part infuriated, I perused the site for a little bit. To me at least it is largely unreadable, as illustrated by this opening paragraph:Women have the right to know that 28 out of 37

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1129242830243684462005-10-13T23:33:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.248Z

Not that kind of quickie. Please get your mind out of the gutter, it is quite crowded enough down here without anyone else getting in the act.I had quite forgotten how, um, interesting PostSecret is. I particularly like the one about the Da Vinci code, and it's not very often that I like the idea of naked old men. In fact I might start doing it myself, well okay probably not, but I can dream.I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1129155760912840752005-10-12T23:21:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.173Z

Would it be naughty? Would it be really naughty?

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1128983673108065972005-10-10T23:34:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.098Z

This weekend was not, in all honesty, my finest weekend on the planet. It started off well enough with a visit to the Franklin Park conservatory, home of many pretty plants and such. I think the desert region was probably my favourite as the cactuses (cacti just seems too tarty) were very pretty. The fish and chips at The Old Bag of Nails pub were almost up to the standards I was used to from the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1128344710729352282005-10-03T23:17:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:22.021Z

New place. Same shit. Apparently, we've got a mouse. Well we've got at least one mouse and possibly more (I'm afraid they really all do look the same to me... sorry all you mouse equality people). We also have, and I don't know if I mentioned this before or not, a cat. She's called George. All you need to know about George is that she's very fluffy (and you didn't really need to know that), she

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1127477447512443602005-09-23T12:56:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.950Z

I'm very sorry. In the past I have suggested that George Galloway is that part of the female anatomy that rhymes with the kind of boat found on the river Cam. However I believe that Christopher Hitchens, my newest hero, is probably correct when he says:Those of us who revere the vagina are committed to defend it against the very idea that it is a mouth or has teeth.So apologies for likening the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1127307737874433782005-09-21T13:57:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.879Z

This is, quite frankly, horribly wrong."This is an attempt to say, 'Look, there's a great story here - let's get into it and let's not get put off by the things that are going to be the sub-plot. Let's give you the big plot'."And now for Ryan's ten word bible:"Jesus good. Up the bottom bad. Give us your money."It's just possible that I've watched too many of the crazy evangelicals you get on

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1127239449540861022005-09-20T18:25:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.806Z

So, on the plus side, I don't think I made a complete and total arse of myself in the interview at UCL yesterday. One of the questions I neglected to ask was when I'd find out about the result, which was probably something of an oversight. But other than that I was quite pleased with how it all turned out.Despite the fact that every item of clothing I was wearing (with the exception of my

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1126987607889378582005-09-17T20:58:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.724Z

So, here I am sat in Port Columbus International Airport, drinking gin & tonic and watching Ohio State trail to San Diego State. I'm off to London in about an hour, well actually I'm off to Detroit and from there I'm off to London, for a job interview at UCL on Monday. It should all be fun and exciting.For your amusement here is the last message sent to my Gmail account:Found it!The Complete

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1126563475734704762005-09-12T22:47:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.631Z

I've just returned from my latest round of mouth abuse at the hands of the dentist. Well actually it was more at the hands of the dental hygenist, but the dentist capped it all by recommending that I get my wisdom teeth removed. Urggh, it's not something I'm looking forward to. At least they knock you out for it, but still it's not something I'm relishing.In other news, I was very bad again. I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1126047239732162392005-09-06T23:48:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.546Z

So, finally after many weeks I'm back in my office in Columbus. I've got a new house (which is very nice), a job interview in London (which is also very nice), a new fitness centre (ditto) and some new house mates (which is odd, but so far very nice also). I think I really fell on my feet with the house, it was great that I arrived at 10 pm on Thursday night and had somewhere to go. In fact by

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1125497936955682812005-08-31T15:05:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.458Z

Sorry about the scarcity of posts recently, but I've been working my bottom off in Fort Sumner, NM. Now though ANITA has had her maiden balloon flight (I'll post some photos when I get back to Columbus), she soared up in the air to about 120,000 feet and then came crashing back down to Earth. Actually she had quite a gentle landing, most of the gondola and all of the electronics survived.My stuff

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1124774983888955572005-08-23T06:29:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.367Z

This is another one of those evening after the night before kind of posts. Last night was ANITA's Ft. Sumner barbecue night. The motel in which I'm staying (the aforementioned $380,000 Billy The Kid Country Inn) has these great picnic tables and old iron barbecues. So everybody chipped in their $20 and a run was made out to Clovis to pick up supplies (except for alcohol which was purchased at

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1124425969738627402005-08-19T05:11:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.286Z

It's true I'm still sat at a picnic table outside of the Billy the Kid Country Inn (which could be yours for just $380,000). It turns out that in my hotel room I don't have any wireless reception, so if I want to surf the web or type this post I've got to go outside to the picnic tables.It is terribly addictive to sit here and watch the work that's going on up in the NSBF hangar over the webcam.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1124419773483793742005-08-19T03:37:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:21.197Z

For all of you wondering where I am and what I'm up, apparently you can see for yourself using a NASA webcam. This is what it looks like right now on Thursday evening. Of course right now I'm not at work, instead I'm sitting at a picnic table in the car park of the Billy the Kid Country Inn drinking beer. Oh and it's thundering and lightninging. It's very cool. I fear more beer is calling.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1124234414039183062005-08-17T00:12:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.419Z

"But some are concerned that it would encourage more porn on the net."Really does anyone believe that anything would encourage more porn on the net. From what I've seen, and to be perfectly honest I've seen an awful lot (and a lot of it was awful), it woud not be possible to encourage more porn. There is really no shortage of porn out there, I can't believe there are that many would be

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1124037496038407212005-08-14T17:37:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.353Z

Yesterday was our first day off for three weeks. It was lots of fun. There was alcohol, taken in an apartment so close to the beach that you could almost reach out and touch it, good food and fun and frolics in the sun. Well there were only frolics if you count playing ball with a twelve year old kid as frolics, which we will for now. I wouldn't mind but he kept on beating me... oh well.It was

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1123914671623823022005-08-13T07:12:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.283Z

Tonight has been a night of firsts for me. For the first time on this trip the ocean glowed for me. I'm really not joking either, the ocean actually glowed. Apparently there is some algae or other little critter in the ocean that likes to produce light when it gets excited. It was really rather impressive to see the waves glowing as they crashed against the shore.It was also rather impressive

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1123388000221898632005-08-07T05:05:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.214Z

I woke up this morning lying on my bedroom floor, covered with my blanket and using a shoe as a pillow. I'm not quite sure how I got there. Did I actually make it into bed and then fell out and decided the floor was pretty comfortable? Or was it just all a little bit too tricky to climb in to bed last night so I curled up in a ball and passed out on the floor? Who knows? Certainly not me. On the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1123286148589145192005-08-06T00:51:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.143Z

I see that lovely chap Galloway is up to his old tircks again. He really is a... well actually I think Liam Fox sums it up pretty well, "George Galloway is a sad and twisted but ultimately irrelevant politician".

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1123137633875397462005-08-04T07:32:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.072Z

It's 11:30 on a Wednesday evening and I'm still at work. This is not a good state of affairs. We have brackets with mirror image problems, cards that are too big to fit into computers and various other issues. On the plus side we ticked everything of our acquisition software/firmware checklist and I got to stick lots of plots on the wall.It's 11:30 on a Wednesday evening and I've yet to have a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1122864318921254492005-08-01T00:45:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:20.001Z

Yes I am still alive (and somewhat kicking) and yes at has been a while since I posted anything, but you see I've been busy. In fact here am at quarter to seven on a Sunday evening and I'm still at work. This is not the way things are meant to be. I should really be down the pub at this point in the proceedings. Alas, not to be.Anyhow here I am in sunny Southern California... and by the look of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1122085898802340462005-07-23T03:29:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.931Z

This is excellent. I got the link from this week's The Friday Thing.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1122083044174187332005-07-23T02:39:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.861Z

He he.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121926069103049272005-07-21T06:40:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.788Z

I'm writing this from the strange desk-bed contraption on which I will be sleeping for the next two weeks. The desk-bed is in a student housing area of UCI, in fact if this blog came with the ambient sounds you would be able to hear the noises from a bunch of students playing basketball in the background.During the last 36 hours I have written and submitted application for a job as a lecturer in

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121740003245322302005-07-19T03:21:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.720Z

So, there I was walking down the street, on the way to the coffee shop in which I'm currently sat and where I came to work on my job application, when something very odd happened. Somebody, Corporal Sean B. Corcoran, tried to recruit me to join the U.S. Army. At first he didn't believe when I told him that I was English — who knows maybe this is a ploy that many people try on the army recruiters,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121643905321482132005-07-18T00:23:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.644Z

It's (almost) official, I am now homeless. Well, I will be tomorrow when I hand my keys back to the landlord. All my worldly possessions, at least all of them that aren't in my grandmother's loft or my mother's garage or somewhere else in England, are hiding in some friends' basement. They got there, including the queen-sized bed (albeit in pieces), in the back of a friends truck. This is the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121453081869350862005-07-15T19:42:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.572Z

From today's The Friday Thing:'OUTRIGHT TERROR. . .BOLD AND BRILLIANT (* * * *)'— Total Film blurb for The Descent, on the side of *that* number 30 bus.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121348071206010162005-07-14T14:28:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.499Z

After all the frankly depressing stories we get about Zimbabwe, it made a nice change to come across this story: Zimbabwe sex row athlete jailed.It has all the hallmarks of a great story: an ambiguous headline containing the word sex; a guy dressing up as a girl (always amusing); and a great African name — Samukeliso Sithole (you can imagine how I first read his/her last name).Priceless. (Or

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121309108042365392005-07-14T03:40:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.416Z

In the course of tidying and packing in my apartment this evening I've found:A card (with ships on it) from an ex-girlfriend's father (she was even an ex- at the time the card was written).Two cuddly toys, that were the property of the previous tenant (I assume).A bugger-load of dirtThe first two made me smile.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1121294409005304482005-07-13T23:04:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.332Z

Yesterday something happened to me for the first time (no not that — get your mind out of the gutter and the first time that happened was in... well maybe we don't need to go there). Somebody recognised my Blue Sun t-shirt. Not only did they recognise the t-shirt, but it turns out they were one of the lucky ones who managed to get hold of a ticket for one of the Serenity previews. The guy, a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1120772763007772002005-07-07T22:42:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.264Z

"We argued... that the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq would increase the threat of terrorist attack in Britain. Tragically Londoners have now paid the price of the Government ignoring such warnings."-George Galloway, RESPECT MPI say we stick George and Nick in a room and let them have a fight to the death. (In the interest of equality we'd have to kill the winner, of course.)

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1120750156556057082005-07-07T16:18:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.195Z

"Last year BNPtv put together a horrific video which made the link between mass immigration and the prospect of terrorist attacks in our capital. The video made the eerie prediction that the London underground would be a target for such terrorist attacks... Following the Islamic fundamentalist massacres in London, two tendencies will rapidly become apparent: First the pro-government media will

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1120744073938768542005-07-07T14:30:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.123Z

Fuck. The BBC is reporting the following message which they found on an Islamic website. I'm not sure if it's just an opportunistic group claiming credit for the attacks or if it's real, either way it's hard to comprehend the mindset of the writers. In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1120660957386897742005-07-06T15:23:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:19.050Z

So that gives me seven years to sort my self out and get back to London so I can enjoy the Olympic games in my 'manor' (Mr Beckham's words). I have to say that I'm really quite excited. Although I imagine by the time I get back everybody will be complaining about the disruption caused by all the consturction work...

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6142116.post-1120601748634804532005-07-05T23:15:00.000+01:002006-11-01T03:49:18.978Z

I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be a teeny tiny little bit busy this month. Sometime in the next 4 weeks I've got to apply for a job in London, finish writing and testing the ANITA flight software and find myself a new apartment.Not to mention working out when and whether I'll need to be in Irvine and Fort Sumner during July and August. It's going to get a little bit hectic I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01668799845149353616noreply@blogger.com2