Word of the Week V...

Wonderful Word of the Week:

malodorous // adj.
1. evil-smelling.
2. a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant

Rubbish Word of the Week:

rasp // n. & v.n.
1 a coarse kind of file having separate teeth.
2 a grating noise or utterance.
3 often used in comic books to describe the sound of a character blowing a rasberry
[Middle English from Old French raspe(r), ultimately from West Germanic]


Today, I'm Most Angry About: Life, once again!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 8/10

One Coat Too Many...

If there was ever an excuse to throttle your kids...
Then would this not be it?

I do not, I repeat, I do not have any children, but I was e-mailed this today by an old work colleague. Imagine how you would react when you found your living room like this!

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Having stomach ache at circuit training and then being out sprinted by a 50 year old bloke at the end of the class! Grrr, I was not on form today at all...
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Perfumigation...

Over the years, I believe I have stumbled across an interesting phenomenon regarding the relationship between a womens age and their perfume usage.

I swear that as women get older, their sense of smell must become immune to the scent of their own perfume, so they simply add more to compensate. This, I approximate, peaks at around the age of 50, in my estimation, and then diminishes again slowly.
[I reckon an extra squirt per decade, as an average compensation for loss of smell?]

You to can experience this pungent phenomenon, as it is particularly noticeable and potent in the following scenarios:

• A wedding, family birthday or christening around where the aunties congregate.
• In a pub on a 50-60 year old ladies night out*. Easily located simply by following the sound of raucous cackles as someone has cracked a joke about incontinence or impotence, which is rather risqué after all, especially when discussed in public.

Would my speculation be correct regarding this, as it makes me cough when near such a group of ladies as the odours merge into one almighty, capable of taking out an alien planet, stench and even my clothes smell of perfume after a while!

When the smoking ban finally comes into force in UK pubs, I think they should have fragrance free seating areas! :)

[* not me of course, them]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Getting yet another crap nights sleep, for no apparent reason and suffering for it at work today! Grrr... Cantankerous ... Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 5/10

I am Mighty...

Want to feel mighty?

Copy the link below and replace dogga for your name or anything you want!

www.dogga.youaremighty.com
[You need sound for the full effect!]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Being really, really hungry all day!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 6/10

Eight on the Severn...

This fine Sunday afternoon, eight of us (and dare I say it that included children) got together to go on a river cruise... Well, kind of a makeshift cruise, but more like a rather fun river Severn dinghy trip!

To be honest, a few of us have done this several times before, but usually it's a bit of a lads evening and we'd be a lot more inebriated (to within a safe limit for messing on a river, of course) and definitely unaccompanied by kids.

We set sail, *cough* randomly floated and paddled occasionally when we had to, from Arley and docked at Trimpley reservoir, taking a couple of hours to complete the trip with a few stops here and there...

[Mart, DoGGa, Nephew Runtus and Duncs inflating our vessels]

[Some dodgy Dudley family, AKA Mathew, Rich, Priscilla and Ashley, pumping up their huge dinghy]

[My nephew 'Runtus' and Duncs chillin' in their rather over inflated dinghy - See the deflated dinghy on the right in the first picture? Well look what over enthusiastic inflation of hot rubber does for your 'end']

[A burst of speed after some rapid riding]

[A quick beer stop... err, I mean breather!
Prescilla, Mart, Duncs, Andy, Ashley, Runtus, Mathew and big Rich, soaking up the high life]

We all made it back safe and sound and enjoyed quite roads, as everyone is setting themselves up in front of a TV for some important football match of some sort?

Last year, a few of us did this one summer Tuesday evening and Duncan's mum* (visiting from Kuala Lumpa) decided to join us, but it all started to get very drunk on the way down the river - In mid conversation, Duncs used the expression 'like a badly packed kebab', thinking his mother would not pick up or understand such terminology, but she replied with, "I prefer to use the expression, 'like a ripped out fireplace'!"
Duncan's face drops with horror, but the comment caused an almighty uproarious moment of laughter, of which I found it hard to breathe!

[I've got a thing for Dunc's mom! ;->]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Andy throwing a cupped handful of cold tap water at me, in the loos, which was not only a shock, but I had to hold in a naughty word due to children being present and it looked like I had wet myself. Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 0.5/10

Word of the Week IV...

Wonderful Word of the Week:

dog-eared // adj.
1. (of a book etc.) with the corners worn or battered with use.
2. To make worn or shabby from overuse.

Definitely not one of these following examples:[Now that's cute... No, it really is!]

Rubbish Word of the Week:

tot // n.
1. a small child (a tiny tot)
2. Brit. a dram of liquor.
3. tr. (usu. foll. by up) add (figures etc.)

Eeewww... Reminds me of an aunty 'pushing the boat out' at a relatives party when being offered some wine and them saying, "Ooh, go on then, but just a tot!" *shudder*

[Disclaimer: I have many favourite words, and equally ones I do not like. Years ago, I got ribbed at work for declaring this thought, especially as I would confess a new disliked word everyday, and for some reason, this caused much hilarity with co-workers. My colleagues would then teach me a new 'word-of-the-day', as they were uni buffs and I was a teenager. It's not that I like or dislike a particular word because it's meaning (real or not), It's just how it sounds spoken that does it for me or not!]


Today, I'm Most Angry About: Deciding to trim my sideburns with my hair trimmer and doing the sensible thing of testing the length set on the trimmers by gently running it across my right arm first... Grrr, I now have 6" x 2" bald patch stretching down my arm!
Too short was the answer, but better my arm than head I guess.
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

You can take DoGGa out of Kidderminster...

...but you can't take Kidderminster out of DoGGa!

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Greek island of Corfu and it was just superb!
Gorgeous weather, fabulous food, fine drink and stunning views - in more ways than one ;->

Best Beach / Location:
Nissaki - This is where I was staying [Quiet north east side]
Minimal 'ere-we-go' brits and souvenir shops, great bars, plus lovely unspoilt beaches and particularly warm turquoise seas.

Best View:
The sight out to Albania's coastal mountains across the Ionian Sea - Absolutely stunning and continually changing. [Only 1.5 miles at the shortest point across]
[That took a lot of restraint to mention the Greek attendant's bottom at Aqualand, so it must have been a good view]

Best Food / Eatery:
The tastiest food I ate was served at the Mitsos taverna in Nissaki - I tried so many new dishes, I couldn't begin to pick a favoutite.

Best Drinks:
Mythos Greek beer - Approximate consumption = 20 Litres.
Metaxa - Approximate consumption = 0.1 Litres.
Ouzo - Approximate consumption = 0.1 Litres.
Retsina - Approximate consumption = 0.3 Litres.

Most Useful Phrases:
Yamas = cheers
Efharisto = Thank you

Most Difficult Place Name to Pronounce:
Paleokastritsa (pal-e-o-ka-strit-sa) eeerrr or similar?

Best Question Asked:
My niece genuinely asking me if it's possible to absorb things through your belly button as she was pouring sand and pebbles onto her stomach and started to get concerned! Duh... bless.

Best Thing Overheard:
A British guy asking for Woodpecker cider and then genuinely complaining to the Greek waiter when he informed him they didn't serve it! LOL... FFS... you're in another country; either try something new or go on holiday back home in Blackpool. Why did you come away if you want everything to be the same as home, you bland and ignorant Brit!
Sorry about that, but it did infuriate me :)

Most Invigorating Moment:
Getting straight out of bed, one morning, and running out my bedroom doors onto the balcony to shower in a huge downpour! The rain was that heavy and warm, it was like taking a normal shower, but with a much better view!

Most Worrying Moment:
My 9-year-old nephew in charge of a hired speedboat while out at sea on a particularly choppy day!

Best Etiquette:
Excluding my nephews customary messy eating - My bro in law eating a pork rib and putting the bone back on the plate with the other fresh ones, rather than his own!

Most 'Intersting' Moments:
1. On the FIRST DAY, hearing my sister mumble, "Erm guys, I think I've just locked us all out of the villa."
She was correct too, as she had opened the door and left the keys inside - the front door had a Yale style lock and the wind had taken the door... Oops, not so bad eh? BUT I had walked out onto the balcony butt naked, to dry off naturally in the sea breeze after getting changed from going in the pool... Oh!
I found this exceedingly funny, but my sister was a tad more anxious, even though I was the one left stood there in his birthday suit with suitcase and all locked insude.
The best-dressed person was my bro-in-law, sporting a pair of Speedos, so he drew short straw to try and get a spare set of keys from the local shop who owned the villa... Phew!

2. My nephew locking himself in the toilets in a restaurant, and it taking 5 minutes for one of us to say, "eh, have you seen the Runt?" Then upon investigating the male toilets, we discovered he couldn't open the toilet door and was stood there, patiently waiting to be rescued.

3. There was a huge thunder storm out to sea Friday morning and it woke me up at about 5am and after contemplating whether I could be arsed to go for a wee, I decided to go, but half way through the power went off as a huge lightening strike hit close by, leaving me totally in the dark, which doesn't do much for your aim! Grrr

There were plenty more, as you can imagine, but I would here all day.

Most Annoying Moment:
Feeding morsels of food to a stray dog, which had wandered into the restaurant, and a cat was present too, so even though I don't like cats and are highly allergic to them, I offered it some chicken anyway ('cos I'm nice like that), but it just swiped my fingers with its left claw and drew blood immediately from my middle finger! Grrr, I don't like cats at the best of times and now I remember why! The dog was delighted and was polishing off my scraps nicely, but the cat just goes for me??? Grrr

Weirdest Things:
Setting aside many strange creatures and noises, driving on the right hand side of the road and not throwing toilet paper down the loo, as this is not done in Greece! All toilets have a sign and bin next to them for toilet paper to disposed of, regardless of what it's been used for... Mmm nice!

There are so many photos to show, but I had to cut it down to these few and I had also ran out of free space on Flickr!

---> SEE THE PHOTOS HERE <---

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Finding a large line of ants stretching from my front door to my kitchen, meandering through my lounge and dining room, like a scene from Disney's 'A Bugs Life'! Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Word of the Week III...

...And in this week's edition...

Wonderful Word of the Week:

Sun-dog
or parhelion // n. (pl. parhelia)
a bright spot on the solar halo. Also called mock sun, sun-dog.
parheliacal // adj.parhelic adj.
[Latin parelion from Greek (as para-1, helios ‘sun’)]

Literal evidence can be seen here!

["Sundog" Picture courtesy of www.spaceweather.com]

Rubbish Word of the Week:

Ratatat
rat-tat // n. (also rat-tat-tat //, ratatat, rat-a-tat //)
a rapping sound, esp. of a knocker.
[imitative]

Eeewww... Used a lot in pantomime and childern's books etc, to describe someone knocking on a door.

[Disclaimer: I have many favourite words, and equally ones I do not like. Years ago, I got ribbed at work for declaring this thought, especially as I would confess a new disliked word everyday, and for some reason, this caused much hilarity with co-workers. My colleagues would then teach me a new 'word-of-the-day', as they were uni buffs and I was a teenager. It's not that I like or dislike a particular word because it's meaning (real or not), It's just how it sounds spoken that does it for me or not!]


Today, I'm Most Angry About: Blogspot no longer allowing me to upload photos and giving no reason as to why not... Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 6/10

I loathe football...

There I said it, although today I was sent a link to a rather addictive game, loosely based around football and found it rather addictive: www.binballwizard.com

There's Always One...

When leaving work tonight, I was horrified to notice a respected colleague's car sporting this very flag:


You know who you are... Shame on you... :)

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Football and England flags and merchandise everywhere - Aaaggghhh...
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 2/10

Well, How Do You Know Me..?

I was tagged by Dakota and Kayla...

I love these kind of questions, but it's really hard when you're limited to 4 answers...

Four jobs I have had:
1. Audio Electronics Designer
2. Paper-Round
3. Circuit board Production / Test Engineer
4. Waiter

The four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Anything Pixar
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Ghost in the Shell
4. Clerks

Four places I have lived:
1. 11 Chichester Avenue - Kidderminster
2. 53 Snowdon Close - Kidderminster
3. 145 Marlpool Lane - Kidderminster
4. Where I live now - Kidderminster

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Futurama
2. The Simpsons
3. Anything Discovery Channel
4. Home and Away [No laughing please]

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Finland
2. Italy
3. Spain
4. Greece

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Smoked Salmon
2. Steak (rare)
3. Olives
4. Oriental

Four things I would rather be doing right now:
1. Having a laugh with friends accompanied by plenty of beer
2. Making love with a cute lady
3. Sleeping
4. Fussing a hound

Four things I always carry with me:
1. Wallet
2. Keys
3. Mobile Phone
4. Chewing Gum


Today, I'm Most Angry About: Life!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 7/10

Word of the Week II...

...And for this week, we have:

Wonderful Word of the Week:

growler // n.
1 a person or thing that growls, esp. slang a dog.
2 a small iceberg.
3 a euphemism for "something anatomical" [;->]


Rubbish Word of the Week:

tummy // n. (pl. -ies) colloq.
the stomach.
[childish pronunciation of stomach]

Ewwwwwww... Stomach, mid-drift and even belly are OK, but tummy is just plain wrong!

[Disclaimer: I have many favourite words, and equally ones I do not like.
Years ago, I got ribbed at work for declaring this thought, especially as I would confess a new disliked word everyday and for some reason, this caused much hilarity with co-workers. My colleagues would then teach me a new 'word-of-the-day' as they were uni buffs and I was teenager.
It's not that I like or dislike a particular word because it's meaning (real or not), It's just how it sounds when spoken that does it for me or not!]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Having less energy than normal at circuit training for no reason and finding it really tough going, especially in this heat.
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 4/10