Long weekend #1

It was nice to get that time away. Getting back to work today was truly an effort. It was a busy and boring day. The good news is that this coming weekend starts early with a day off on Friday followed by next Monday and Tuesday off because of Easter. I'm hoping for a BBQ or two but we'll have to see how the weather holds up. Winter hates letting go and April is known for its showers.

Last week ended with some colleagues in work heading out for drinks at Fibber Magees. It's a small little bar that runs off the back of Morrisons and we took over a large table at the back. One drink turned into two, turned into six and I didn't make it home until around 10pm. It's my hope to keep up the momentum and make hitting the pub at the end of the week a regular thing. It's good to blow off steam and the pub is as good a place as any.

Nice lie in on Thursday and lunch at the flat with Colin and Don before heading out on a mini pub crawl through Auntie Annies and Katys before ending in a place we hadn't been to before, Red Square. It's a hotel, bar and restaurant and has a colonial style which suits it fine. We scooped a prime seating area with seats you can sink into a couch you can curl your feet up on. Cue several pints. We shot the breeze and even finished the crossword before 6pm hit and we jumped into a taxi for Keiths house, leaving Lou behind to meet up with her friends for a hen night.

As with afternoon drinking leading into the evening, if you keep on going, you don't seem to get drunk. Your body moves into a lucid state of being and if anything you're just plain knackered. Colin and I got a taxi home around midnight and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow but a lie in was out of the question as NTL was being installed at 8am on Friday.

No sooner had I got out of bed there was a knock at the door and the technician came up and did the job in no time at all. Back into bed 15 minutes later. Got up at 10am and set up broadband. A few teething problems and it was done. Problem was my not-so-old ADSL modem/router was redundant. What I needed was a cable router. For the life of me I can't remember if we went to Mapln on Friday or Saturday but I bought a ethernet hub instead of an ethernet router so once again it didn't work and will require a return trip this Saturday. God damn technology.

Rented Spartan and Inside I'm Dancing.
Spartan is a political thriller starring Val Kilmer whose recent efforts have been impressive and I wasn't let down. Solid performances throughout. 3.5 spies out of 5.
Inside I'm Dancing is a comedy drama set in Dublin about 2 cerebral palsy sufferers who get a new lease on life by moving out of their godforsaken home for the disabled and into their own flat with a young blonde they chatted up in a bar who quit her supermarket day job and provides home help for them. It's a great film full of laughs and tear-jerking drama. I would give it 4 wheelchairs out of 5.

Saturday was a day for taking it easy. Ireland fought Wales for the triple crown and lost in embarrassing style. IMHO they should have taken O'Gara off after the last match and put Humphries on because his kicking was appauling besides the whole team only putting 60% effort into the game.
Colin and Don came over later in the evening and we went to the cinema to see Hostage. It's a good action thriller where Bruce Willis reprises his old Die Hard style fuck-with-my-family-and-i'll-fuck-with-you role to great effect. It has some good twists for the film that it is and if you're looking for something to spice up your evening, you can't go wrong and wont be disappointed. I would give it 3.5 rounds of ammo out of 5.
We got back home and got stuck into the booze. Watched some South Park, Teen Titans and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas before hitting the hay at 4am and was asleep before tucking myself in.

Sunday was a nice relaxing affair. Don and I played some Age of Empires 2 and then Lou joined us for a pub lunch back at Red Square. Man, that's a tasty burger they do.
Spent Sunday evening watching Commando. It's a kick ass 80's Arnie film and the thing I noticed watching it this time around was the 80's music with a calypso jingle-jangle. Arnie is breaking some guys arm in a dis-used warehouse and the music sounds like I'm watching Weekend At Bernies.
This was followed up with The Motorcycle Diaries and then sleep, sleep, sleep.