keithslater.net

Well, unfortunately the server that hosts keithslater.net has fallen over and the chap who looks after the box is in the UK until this weekend, so this will probably have to wait until next week to be uploaded.

This week a couple of things have happened in my life...

1. I have taken the decision that I will probably go back to the UK next year. Events at work and the probable repurcusions, together with the fact that the EU have made the quarantine laws for rabbits and other rodents pretty much non-existant have made my mind up for me. It could be working in the Birmingham or Bracknell office, I haven't made my mind up yet.

2. I split up with my (ex) girlfriend. It was a bit strange to be honest. Everything was fine and then she just started being quiet. Not replying to my mails for days, not returning my calls or calling me when she had said she would, every time I mentioned going to Chicago to see her it was the wrong time. So, I put my cards on the table, told her how I felt and I haven't heard from her since. Charming I thought. Oh well, not a new feeling for me. We hadn't been together too long so I am not heartbroken or anything, just very dissapointed. This is the one thing she promised would not happen! Oh well, I still have my family and friends and that's what counts. I would rather find out someone is like this now that later!

posted by keith @ 20:52 Comments: 1  

Very little going on right now. Work is work, still not sure what will happen over the next year / 2 years. My now ex-girlfriend starting treating me like a doormat so it was bye-bye to her. Cold in Munich right now - sun is shining though although I expect it won't be long until the snow comes!!!

posted by keith @ 12:40 Comments: 3  

Nice quiet weekend. I have had a bit of a cough for the last week so haven't smoked and on top of that I am on call so I am staying in this weekend. I did go and help a friend put up some shelves this morning. The walls are solid concrete so that always takes it out of me! Then I went and did a little shopping, the bunnies wouldn't be happy with no carrots! Since then Man Utd won the footy at the same time as Arse and Chelski drawing, Liverpool losing and England easily won the Rugby. A good day of sport all round (except Leeds winning - we could all do with them going down another division, or just going bust!!) Sitting down now with the Naked Chef - I think Jamie Oliver is a real cool chap but the program does make me a bit nostalgic. I don't know how much longer my current job will keep me in Munich or what I am going to do after that but at present I really don't want to go back to England. I am not even sure I want to stay in the same industry, telecommunications is a very cutthroat industry and I am really not into that kind of thing. I have been thinking of maybe buying a petshop or something like that. We will see...

posted by keith @ 19:09 Comments: 1  

Went to the cinema last night to see The Machinist . Excellent movie and Christian Bale was also excellent. Rumour has it that he lost 63 pounds to star in this and it shows - very much recommended.

On another not so happy note - Spain vs England. What is going on? It is the 21st Century and we still have to put up with people in the so called Western World making noises at black players. This after racist comments by the Spain coach - disgraceful.

posted by keith @ 09:23 Comments: 2  

Trying to stop smoking (again). Fed up with the whole thing so this time I am determined. I haven't had a cigarette since Friday and to be honest I am at present a miserable bastard! Bah humbug! Will get over it though - or strangle someone!!!!!

posted by keith @ 13:15 Comments: 2  

Pretty good weekend. The Hog was visiting from England. Nothing crazy as he bought a cold with him that I seem to have caught and today at work everyone seems to be ill too. One guy even phoned in sick today as he felt rough, went to the doc and it looks like he has the starting symptoms of pneumonia!

Other than that - trying to book a flight to see my GF before Christmas although it is proving a little trickier than anticipated - sure it will work itself out in the end though.

posted by keith @ 14:59 Comments: 1  

Sunday. Nothing much doing. A friend from Uni has come to visit and my stepdad came for the day yesterday. We are both a bit ill (flu) so are just chilling. Going to meet an old friend for lunch who's wife is pregnant so I guess I better learn the German for congatulations quickly (Glueckwuensche). Later - Man Utd vs Newcastle. Thank God for Sky TV!!!

posted by keith @ 12:08 Comments: 2  

So, here I am again at aroun 18000 feet. And once again travelling to Birmingham and then onward to my companies college. I won't have internet access for a few days so this will all be well out of date but hey ho. Did you read in the news about the cabin attendant who worked for American Airlines who got fired because of her weblog? This is one of the reasons why I won't go into much detail about my work life here. The other reason being that I am a firm believer that work should be left at work. Sure, I understand there are jobs for which that simply cannot apply but for me (except when I am on call) there is no need for me to take work home.

3 things for me are essential when I go flying or for that matter any type of travelling. Firstly my PC. It enables me to a) Download all my images from my EOS 10D at the end of the day (it goes without saying that my camera goes with me pretty much everywhere) and b) capture all my thoughts. Secondly is my gameboy advance - mainly for the long haul flights. It is so easy to lose several hours with this little device. I have a 12 hour battery for it as well so no chance of it running out. Thirdly and argueably most important is my iPod. What a stroke of genius apple had when they introduced this little baby. It is not my first MP3 player but those boys have made it so functional, ergonomic and just damn sexy that it already an icon. I have the 20Gb version and currently have 13Gb full up or just over 3000 songs or 8 days worth of listening - how can you need more than that? iTunes is a lovely little application as well. Rips my CDs, downloads to my iPod and acts as a wicked jukebox as well.

Books are of course also very important when travelling. I am currently reading The family way by Tony Parsons but also have The life of Pi and the Abs diet. When you reach my age it is increasingly difficult to keep the belly off. People say it is due to your metabolism slowing down but I think it is actually due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Whenever I exercise regularly and eat properly it helps massively. The problem is going back to the bad habits, all too easy! I just finished reading the latest Adrian Mole book by Sue Townsend. Very amusing but probably a matter of taste. I grew up with Adrian Mole and was introduced to him by my old English teacher who used to read to us after our exams. He was a strange man but an excellent orator who used to really get into the characters.

posted by keith @ 13:06 Comments: 0  

Flying to Birmingham very shortly. Will probably be offline for the rest of the week. I guess telling you about what happened at work is not so exciting anyway eh? Hedgehog is coming to visit this weekend so that is certainly something to look forward to - good lad if not a bit of a funny little man!

Seems as though Blogger have sorted out their recent problems as well so should be able to update a bit more regularly.

posted by keith @ 12:31 Comments: 1  

Not a great deal to say today. Saturday. Have already been up and to the pet shop (having so many rodents can be a real pain, constant trips for hay etc. It's not really something you can stock up on, it needs to be slightly moist but if it's stored for too long it goes mouldy) and the grocery store. The rest of the day will consist of football and cleaning. I am in the UK (again) next week so this is really the only opportunity to clean.

Tomorrow I am going to a great vegetarian restaurant I know - Prinz Myshkin - very worth checking out and indeed their website is pretty cool too.

posted by keith @ 12:23 Comments: 2  

I am currently at about 18000 feet (this is the height you get to when they turn off the seatbelt lights - I know, I have read a lot about flying!!).It is a little unfair to say I hate flying. I don't enjoy the impersonal nature of it, the not being in control, the being buffeted around in turbulence (every flyers favourite word), the occasional rude person who seems not to appreciate that you have spent more on the flight you are just about to take than they earn in a month and it may have taken you many months to save this and they are spoiling it by being an arse. Let me give you an example. I was in Chicago a while ago and on the way back I asked if I could upgrade to business class (it was a night flight and I was exhausted. I can never sleep unless I am at a reasonable angle - sitting in a chair just doesn't do it). The guy at the front desk said it may be possible but I should discuss with the guy at the gate. I did this. His immediate response was to turn round and sarcastically say 'sure - that will be $295'. I handed him my Amex card. It turns out there are no more business class seats and he just 'presumed' I wanted a free upgrade which was not the case at all. I sat and watched and he did exactly the same to 3 other passengers, going as far as saying 'sure - that will be $6000' to a lady who wanted to upgrade herself and her husband to first class as a birthday treat.

So anyway, there are aspects of flying I do enjoy. I love to come through the clouds and see the Earth covered in a fluffy blanket. I love to site and just watch the World go by down below on a clear day. 2 instances spring to mind. The first was on that same trip to Chicago. I was actually flying to see my GF and decided to take a little side trip to Arizona. The landscape all the way on that 4 hour flight was breathtaking. Gorges cut into the land, huge mountains - amazing (as was Arizona itself). The second was a trip to La Digue in the Seychelles last year (which in itself is the single most beautiful place I have ever visited). On the way back we went along the African coast and it was stunning. The colours of the water around the islands was just amazing. Then as we came into Europe the snowcapped mountains of the Alps was just as stunning.

I am a bit of a photographer (with the advances in technology of digital photography I think everyone is nowadays) and one of my favourite photographers is Yann Arthus-Bertrand. He writes books such as the Earth from the Sky, which are, unsurprisingly collections of aerial photography. I recommend at least checking out his website.

Well, I think that's enough of my meandering for a while. Will post this later when I get an internet connection.

posted by keith @ 19:26 Comments: 0  

Sat at Munich airport right now, waiting to go to sunny Birmingham. Wireless LAN rocks. Here it is run by Vodafone so I can charge it directly to my mobile phone bill. Happy days. I believe the aircraft is a little bigger than last time but we'll see. The last flight to BHX was not bad at all. People seem to think that having a job that involves a lot of traveling is glamorous. Well, let me tell you it soon loses it's appeal. Let's think about it - usually I would get up at around 7, be in the office between 8 and 9, leave the office between 4 and 5 and that's my day over. Today, I was up at 0530, will not be in the office all day so will have to work doubly hard to catch up with emails etc. Tomorrow and will not get home until 2100 or so. I will spend almost my entire day in dry, air conditioned rooms, eating on the fly and basically rushing around. Does that sound so glamorous? If it is a longer stay somewhere a little better than Birmingham it is not so bad.

I guess I should stop waffling now, the plane is about to board. I will update in about 12 hours, probably totally exhausted!

posted by keith @ 07:42 Comments: 0  

I hate to say it but it does appear that warmonger Bush may have won. I find it impossible to believe that the US population really want this idiotic monkey in charge of them. Certainly, the whole of the Rest Of the World thinks he is just a puppet who does what Daddy says and is far too keen to go to war. I don't think Kerry is much better, he is a bit of a wet fish but at least there would be less innocent lives lost under Kerry. Let's hope there is a bit upset in the final counting in Ohio.

posted by keith @ 13:52 Comments: 5  

The last of my (current) pets. This is Lincollina...




She is a Teddy Bear hamster. She was very shy when I first got her but now she is getting better and has got a pretty cute personality. She really is like a little Teddy Bear. She stands and wobbles on her back legs quite a bit, climbs the walls, falls off - funny little lady!

posted by keith @ 21:00 Comments: 0  

I guess I have a few days to update here. Well, let's start last week. I missed the flight! It wasn't totally my fault, I left myself an hour and a quarter to do a journey that should take no more than 45 minutes. On this occasion it took an hour and a quarter and we were nowehere near Heathrow. So I asked the taxi driver to drop me off at the nearest hotel. I went to the bar after sorting out a flight for the following day and met a couple of Aussie girls. We all got drunk and one of them actually turned out to be rather, what's the best word? Millitant. She wasn't terribly nice. She was, in fact, so not nice that I cannot remember her name. :o) The other one was very sweet - just a lovely person. So, Belinda, I will never meet you again but thankyou for being nice after a crappy day.

Saturday morning I travelled to Hintertux, the local glacier. The days boarding was pretty good - better than I expected it to be in October. The evening festivities were also grand. 25 people eating, drinking and making merry. Sunday was pretty much a washout. It was snowing and very cloudy so we couldn't see very much. I went back to the hotel after a few hours and chilled. Sunday night was more jolification and a couple of games of Poker. Monday I travelled back. Made my best time - 1 hour 27 minutes! I admit I was doing around 180 (about 110 mph) almost all the way back but the roads were clear and this is the beauty of the German Autobahn! Back to work today. Found out I have to go the UK again on Thursday - then back again next Monday! I hope I do get some time at home soon!!

posted by keith @ 15:47 Comments: 0