Friday, December 08, 2006
Music and Mutts
This weekend promises to be another busy one. The excesses of my Christmas shopping binge last week have left me virtually penniless until pay-day, but I am going to Oxford for my friend’s birthday, which will doubtless mean relying on the generosity of LloydsTSB and their overdraft provisions. Our banks are so generous, only letting me beg for a few weeks for an overdraft facility, that I almost forgive them their billions of pounds in profit. Almost.
A number of my friends were thoughtless enough to be born over the festive period, which requires dual present buying. Some (like the one in question) have done me the double dis-service of moving far away, requiring even more financial investment. And now there is a third pecuniary catastrophe in the making, as the entertainment for us in Oxford on Saturday is an evening at the greyhound track.
I have been once before, with remarkably consistent results. After half a dozen races, I managed to pick the winner in absolutely none of them. This despite following the various tips from my “expert” friends, such as “choose the one with the shiniest coat,” or “choose the one that looks the most lethargic, as he’s just psyching himself up.” Or, my personal favourite: “If you see one go to the toilet, choose him because he’ll be lighter.”
In the end, it was me who was lighter. About £20 lighter. And I could do without such financial pressures at the moment. Of course, the only sure-fire way to avoid losing money is to go to the dogs and WIN, which is what I am intending to do.
Oxford and back in a day, because I am in Prestwich on Sunday for more Focus deliveries (I have been slack and reliant on Lib Dem colleagues in the last couple of weeks for various reasons – sorry), before work again on Monday.
Which of course neglects tonight – another entertaining evening is promised as I go to the Manchester Apollo to see the XFM Winter Wonderland concert (thankfully I bought the ticket some time ago!). I thought it was great news for Manchester when XFM got its licence and started broadcasting. I used to work at Century FM in Salford Quays, where XFM started their broadcasts from, and their operation is very professional, slick, and a credit to the city. On the bill is Badly Drawn Boy, another local celebrity.
So, onward into the weekend… I hope you all have a good one too.
Rick
A number of my friends were thoughtless enough to be born over the festive period, which requires dual present buying. Some (like the one in question) have done me the double dis-service of moving far away, requiring even more financial investment. And now there is a third pecuniary catastrophe in the making, as the entertainment for us in Oxford on Saturday is an evening at the greyhound track.
I have been once before, with remarkably consistent results. After half a dozen races, I managed to pick the winner in absolutely none of them. This despite following the various tips from my “expert” friends, such as “choose the one with the shiniest coat,” or “choose the one that looks the most lethargic, as he’s just psyching himself up.” Or, my personal favourite: “If you see one go to the toilet, choose him because he’ll be lighter.”
In the end, it was me who was lighter. About £20 lighter. And I could do without such financial pressures at the moment. Of course, the only sure-fire way to avoid losing money is to go to the dogs and WIN, which is what I am intending to do.
Oxford and back in a day, because I am in Prestwich on Sunday for more Focus deliveries (I have been slack and reliant on Lib Dem colleagues in the last couple of weeks for various reasons – sorry), before work again on Monday.
Which of course neglects tonight – another entertaining evening is promised as I go to the Manchester Apollo to see the XFM Winter Wonderland concert (thankfully I bought the ticket some time ago!). I thought it was great news for Manchester when XFM got its licence and started broadcasting. I used to work at Century FM in Salford Quays, where XFM started their broadcasts from, and their operation is very professional, slick, and a credit to the city. On the bill is Badly Drawn Boy, another local celebrity.
So, onward into the weekend… I hope you all have a good one too.
Rick
# posted by Richard Baum @ 14:45 
